


Veni Mecum

by FullFire



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, POV Female Character, Reader-Insert, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2018-09-23 21:41:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9679805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FullFire/pseuds/FullFire
Summary: "Veni Mecum," he smiled, eyes soft."What does that mean?" you spoke curtly, your annoyance seeping through your tone as you narrowed your eyes."It's Latin," his smile turned to a grin."Yes, I know it's Latin. But what does it mean?""It means 'come with me'."You thought about it, for the briefest of seconds.And you did.Eventual James T. Kirk x ReaderCURRENTLY UNDERGOING MAJOR EDITS





	1. Please, don't call me that.

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Star Trek, sadly.
> 
> Re-Upload  
> Let me know what you think, my lovelies!

James Tiberius Kirk. That name had you repulsed. Repulsed in your Starfleet Academy cadet uniform. Repulsed in your lectures and repulsed when you were studying. You loathed him on a whole new level. That smirk. It made you want to vomit. Just his whole disposition from his ~~azure blue~~ stupidly-coloured eyes to his pure arrogance made you want to punch him directly in his over-confident face. Oh, how you despised him. 

It was just a shame that James Tiberius Kirk knew _you_ personally. Or rather, he had persisted for your name relentlessly three years back, in a lively bar in Iowa on your home planet. Stupidly and unfortunately, you had given in and told him your first name. Not because you wanted too, but just to stop him and his drunken ass from leaning any closer to you. Luckily though, you had been wise enough to decline his advances that night. You thought it was safe; a genius moron knew your name. No big deal. You had no clue that the guy would decide to join Starfleet _the very next day._

Ever since, whenever the man saw you, he would always call out to you, compliment or even openly flirt with you - using only your first name, despite your persistence of calling him by his last. It was embarrassing. Not to mention disrespectful. You actually went out of your way to avoid him., not that it even mattered. He always seemed to cross paths with you whatever the situation. 

So when you saw him striding out of the entrance of Starfleet Academy with his good friend Leonard McCoy, while you were reading some classical Earth literature on a bench near to the two, a part of you panicked, thinking he would notice. He seemed, however, engrossed in conversation with McCoy. They looked like they were arguing, though when Kirk noticed a pair of females pass and directly gave them all the attention, you were sure it was nothing serious. Still, it didn't stop you from leaning down and raising the book to partially cover your face. Yet, they drew closer. You were torn between running and chancing him seeing you, or staying still and praying he wouldn't notice. 

As they came within speaking distance, you sucked in a breath. Your best and only option right now was to stay silent and not move, hoping you could escape his vision. 

"Well, doesn't it bother you that no-ones ever passed the test?" Jim's voice was serious as he stared at his friend. You rolled your eyes, then quickly remembered that you were meant to refrain from moving. 

"Jim, it's the Kobayashi Maru! No one passes the test, and no one goes back for seconds, let alone thirds!" Leonard McCoy ranted and, you noted, he had a point. The test was unwinnable, everybody knew that. But, then you remembered James Tiberius Kirk wasn't everybody. 

"I gotta study!" Kirk chirped, turning away from his friend who sighed heavily and stalked off in another direction. Unfortunately, Kirk turned so he was in a perfect position to spot you and immediately notice your pathetic attempts to hide from him. You heard him hum a laugh before he sat down on the bench beside you. Irritated, you continued to read your book, pretending you didn't notice his foul presence. 

"Well, hello there, (hirst name)." Kirk crossed one leg, his ankle resting on the others knee as his hand casually supported it. "What are you reading?" he asked, mildly-interested. 

As if to get the glaringly obvious message of 'leave-me-the-fuck-alone' across to him, you turned your back completely towards him, and just continued reading. This, however, worked slightly more in his favour. You heard him move and ignored it. Again. 

"Hey, I never noticed how fruity your hair smells. What is that? Apricot-?" 

"What do you want, Cadet Kirk?" You whipped around, eyes dangerous as they glared at him. "I'm busy," you spat, drawling, "and it's Cadet (Last_Name) to you, how many times must I repeat myself, you idiot?" You re-opened your book with such force that you were actually surprised that it didn't rip. 

"Wow, such harsh words," he purred as you chanced a glance towards him and noticed how he was pulling a mock-hurt face. "I just wanted to let you know I was taking the test again." 

"Well, you certainly like failing, don't you?" You stood, trying to end the conversation there. But to no avail. James Tiberius Kirk soon followed, trotting beside you as you attempted to stride _away from him._

"This time, I'm pretty sure I won't." He slung his arm around your shoulders as you both walked in time. "This time, I'm going to beat it-" 

"You have precisely two seconds to remove your arm from my shoulders before I _snap it off._ " You threw him a dangerous warning along with an acidic glare, making him slide his arm back to its resting position and throw up a hand in surrender. "Besides, the reason your taking the test again, is because that moronic brain of yours can't comprehend the _true purpose_ of it's 'unwinnable' nature." 

He slowed, and you knew he was registering what you had said. So you turned in your tracks, stopping so your eyes were mere inches away. He grinned suddenly. 

"Enlighten me, please." 

It was almost as if he didn't believe that you knew what the test was really about. Like he didn't believe there was any chance that you were smarter, on any level, than him. Like he was _daring you to try._

"Alright." You decided to humour him. "The test is not one to simply be 'beaten' as it _cannot_ be 'beaten'. Nor is it even a test." At this, you could tell he was trying to force down a laugh of mockery. Annoyed, you continued with more force. "The Kobayashi Maru is a training exercise. It allows a captain to feel fear. It allows them to register that fear and to accept it. It gives them the opportunity to face fear under heavy circumstances that force them to not only captain and control an entire crew and ship, but to not allow that fear to cloud their judgment. If all else fails in the test, the main priority of the captain is to secure the well-being of his or her crew. It shows that whatever you do, you must be in control of your ship, and of your mind." 

You finished, still defiant in your speech as it lingered in the air, and still mere inches away from Kirk. You took a step backwards, noting how he was still silent. 

"Why do you think Commander Spock regarded me the highest out of all the pupils who took the so-called 'test'?" You raised your eyebrows, challenging him to take a guess. Still, he was silent. "It's because I _understand the purpose_ of the exercise." 

His jaw was slack, his eyes intently focused on yours. He looked as if he was blinking between accepting what you had said as true, or dismissing it as an overly-examined piece of information. He made his mind up suddenly. 

There was no way you knew all that. 

"Uhh, okay." He clapped his hands together, briefly glancing down at his wrist and his invisible 'watch'. "I got to go study. As always, it was a pleasure, (first name)." He turned on the spot and began to stride away, leaving you alone and, _as always,_ thoroughly angered in the middle of Starfleet's one of many walkways. 

"IT'S CADET (LAST NAME)!" you screamed after him. He simply waved his arm in acknowledgment as he strode away. You cursed quietly. Seething and fuming, able to do nothing but stare at the back of his ~~dirty-blonde~~ stupidly-coloured head.


	2. Cheats and Lies

Oh, you had heard about it. All it did was make you hate him more. You heard the whispers in the hallways, whispers in the lessons, the god-damned whispers practically flew past you every day with you having no way to _stop hearing about it._ How James Tiberius Kirk had somehow _beaten_ the Kobayashi Maru test. Against all odd -, not forgetting that there _was no logical way to beat the test_ , James Tiberius Kirk _had beaten it._

That cheating little fuck. 

That was the only way to explain it. He had cheated, you were almost completely sure of it. Commander Spock had designed and programmed it to be unwinnable. Kirk clearly wasn't satisfied that there was no positive outcome to the test, so, in some show of masculinity or for some weird and unknown reason, he had decided to _not listen to you_ when you had given him completely sound advice, opting instead to try the test for a third time. This time was different however. This time, he _had beaten it,_ and it was driving you insane that you _couldn't stop hearing about it._ It's not even as if it was mildly interesting anyway. It's just because Kirk is deemed one of the more 'better-looking' of all the male cadets here. Though you really didn't see what his ~~oddly-handsome~~ horrid face had to offer. To you, all he was, was a ~~genius-level~~ stupid cadet, who was now a cheater. 

Plus, you can't _study_ for that kind of test anyway. So he was a liar as well. 

But when you and the rest of your fellow Cadets were called to a session led by Admiral Richard Barnett, you had a good idea as to why the whole committee was involved, and you made sure you had prime seats near Kirk to watch his downfall. Oh, you didn't want to miss this. 

Striding past the line of queuing Cadets immersed in their own conversations and waiting to file into the room to be seated, you noticed a particular blonde-haired male with his eyes on almost every female in sight. James Tiberius Kirk was waiting, leaning with his back to the corridor wall, eyes darting with alarming speed up and down a nearby female cadet with long brunette hair. 

"Cadet Kirk!" you greeted loudly as soon as you were within shouting distance of the man, subsequently drawing you a lot of curious gazes. Mostly everyone knew of your apparent dislike for the flirtatious Cadet. Except, it seemed, for said Cadet himself. You waved a hand to grab his sharp attention, purring, "Fancy seeing you here." 

Stopping short and flashing a brilliant white smile at him, you were almost pretty sure your seduction techniques were working when he leaned closer and pressed a hand around your waist. It was weird how you immediately tensed up when he pulled you in for a friendly hug. It was also weird how controlled you were, not mentioning your severe wish was to shove your knee firmly into his groin. Patting him awkwardly on the shoulder, you pulled away, noting the mischievous glint was glowing in his blue orbs. 

"Why the sudden friendliness?" he asked, narrowing his eyes in a mildly-curious way. 

"Well," you gave a soft chuckle, glancing at Leonard McCoy who was standing next to Kirk with a more suspicious look on his face. You fluttered your lashes as you continued, "I just wanted to sit near my _friends._ " The word felt like acid on your tongue, and you had a hard time not throwing up your arms and yelling 'fuck this shit, I'm just kidding' and storm away, but the benefits of acting so friendly and encroaching on the flirtatious zone with Kirk were sure to be bountiful. 

Besides, he seemed to fall for it instantly, clearly thinking way ahead that you were in fact after something much more... _intimate._ When in reality, the very idea made you want to throw up. 

"Uh, Jim, may I have a word?" McCoy cut in, intent on foiling your plan until you threw him a sideways, and severely sudden smoulder. 

"Oh, Leo, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there!" 

"Leo?" McCoy mimicked, baffled by the small nickname. He narrowed his eyes. 

"You don't mind do you?" You placed a hand on Kirk's arm, stepping closer to him. "We are friends, really. Aren't we, James?" You gave a look of hope towards the cadet who immediately nodded. 

"Yeah, of course! McCoy, why don't you sit somewhere else for today?" Kirk threw over his shoulder, not once taking his eyes off you. 

"I promise I'll give him back as good as new. Or close enough." You winked at McCoy who jaw had gone slack. 

"Uh, okay. Whatever," he grumbled, looking up and down the line for a new place to stand. Fortunately, or unfortunately, you were all called in at that precise moment. Linking arms with Kirk and inwardly screaming at the contact, you moved slowly with your fellow cadets as everyone filed in to take their seat. 

The council room was large and open, seats descended in a way similar to how your lecture rooms were built. You and Kirk had found seats relatively close to the front, and as you went to sit down, you noticed Kirk brushing your seat clean for you, so you didn't have to sit in anything dirty. He did it while your back was 'supposedly' turned as well. 

Was he being kind to you? Gentlemanly? You frowned. Then your heart twinged. Wait--what? 

No. No, it didn't do anything. Your heart is fine. Everything's good. 

Or was it? 

You sat, then turned to smile falsely at him. You had to continue on with the plan. Besides, your heart was fine. Even when he returned your fake-smile with an honest, openly-sincere one. His bright eyes sparkled as he stared at you happily, clearly glad you weren't being acidic and hostile towards him anymore. You felt it twitch with guilt again. Yeah, your heart was _defiantly_ fine. When his stare focused on the front of the room instead of you, you cringed. You weren't normally a nasty person. You didn't normally revile in the misfortune of others, though you thought because you had a burning hatred for Kirk, that making him fail and seeing his downfall would give you some kind of sadistic pleasure. Now, when the moment dawned, and it really boiled down to who you were as a person, you had to admit, that even somebody like _Kirk_ didn't deserve this level of public humiliation. Shit, now you felt bad. Because that's exactly what you had planned for him. A full shower of ridicule and scorn as soon as you both stepped out of this room. You had planned to drop your facade of kindness and attempt to completely break his spirit, because if he was shown to be a cheating liar, then his honor was pretty much gone for. You had heard that that was one of the things he valued most. His pride and honor. 

You had thought he was selfish, immature, needy and pathetic, only talking to you because he either wanted to get in your pants, or he thought it was incredibly funny to tease and annoy you to the extreme. 

But now, in less than thirty seconds, you had felt like he _wasn't_ the sort of person you deemed him to be after all. His smile -- though you hated it before -- looked as if it was truly warm and genuine. His eyes, ones which would normally look over every woman they saw, would crinkle and shine whenever he laughed or smiled. He just seemed... normal. Or maybe he was only normal around you? Maybe the reason he always called you by your first name was because he felt comfortable around you. Like he could be himself with you. And you were going to take that comfort from him and destroy it before his eyes. 

Now, you really did feel bad. 

Before you could do anything else, you were interrupted by the session being called to order as the committee members filed in. Everyone around you looked relatively at ease, even Kirk, who was looking comfortably relaxed, leaning his chin on his right fist as he stared into space. Everybody looked fine and normal... all except you. You stiffened, breathing quickly. Should you tell him? Should you stop it and defend him? Tell them how you explained the true nature of the test to him, and that possibly you were to blame for his actions of wanting to win? Should you-- 

"Hey, you okay?" 

You heard him ask. Even after everything you had done, or said about him -- _that he knew you had said about him_ \-- he was still worried about you. Eyes glanced quickly towards Kirk, in a panic-stricken way. 

"No, listen, I know why we've been called here today. I know what's about to happen--" 

"Slow down, what? What's happening?" he whispered, leaning over to you, bright eyes concerned as they looked you over. 

"Kirk, look, I'm really sorry--" 

"This sessions has been called to resolve a troubling matter." Admiral Richard Barnett's voice rang clear through the hall, silencing all noises, all except your frantic whisper to Kirk. 

"Oh no--" 

"James T. Kirk, step forward." 

Kirk's head snapped towards the front as all eyes landed on the both of you. You looking flustered and him leaning over, hand dangerously close to overlapping yours in what seemed to be a comforting gesture. Kirk looked back at you slowly, and all you could do was offer a pleading glance. At once, he stood, straightening his outfit and making his way briskly down and behind one of the podiums at the front. 

"Cadet Kirk, evidence has been submitted to this council suggesting that you violated the ethical code of conduct, pursuant to regulation 17.43 of the Starfleet code." 

Shit. This really was all your fault. If you hadn't told Commander Spock that Kirk seemed overly-confident in regards to the test and that he may have used alternate methods to win against said test, then Spock would never have looked into it. Oh shit, you would never be forgiven for this crap. 

"Is there anything you care to say before we begin?" 

There was a pause. An unbearable pause. Then he spoke. 

"Yes, I believe I have the right to face my accuser directly." 

You were just about to stand, to take the blame, to show everyone what you had done, when you noticed someone else stand. It was Commander Spock. 

You breathed a partially heavy sigh of relief. 

"This is Commander Spoke, one of our most distinguished graduates," Barnett told Kirk as the Vulcan took his place opposing the young Cadet. "He has programmed the Kobayashi Maru test for the past four years." From your place near the front, you could almost swear you saw Kirk shoot a glare at Spock. 

"Commander?" Barnett pressed, handing the floor to the Vulcan. You braced yourself for a verbal sparring match between the two. 

"Cadet Kirk you somehow managed to install and activate a sub-routine in the programming code, thereby changing the conditions of the test." Spock got straight to the punch-line. 

"Your point being?" Kirk snapped back. 

"In academic vernacular, you cheated," Barnett clarified, annoyed. 

There was a mixture of excited and disappointed murmuring from within the crowd and sea of Cadets. Somewhere inside your mind, a small voice screeched 'I knew it!' before it was promptly hushed by your other emotions. 

"Let me ask you something I think we all know the answer to. The test itself is a cheat, isn't it?" There was silence from the room. "You programmed it to be unwinnable." 

"Your argument concludes the possibility of a no-win scenario," Spock reiterated. 

"I don't believe in no-win scenarios." 

"Then not only did you violate the rules, you also failed to understand the principle lesson." 

"Please, enlighten me." 

"You of all people should know, Cadet Kirk, a captain cannot cheat death." 

A feeling of sadness washed over you, if only for a few seconds. You knew about how Kirk's father died protecting his crew. How he gave his own life for the survival of those he cared about. Jim's mother was able to survive, along with him because of his fathers brave actions. It was a story you were often told in your classes. Not to mention, you were going to use it as one of the ways to beat Kirk down -- that how his father would be disappointed in him, if he could see his only son lie and cheat to make himself look better from the viewpoint of his peers. But it seemed as if Spock had done that job for you. 

Kirk bowed his head. 

"I of all people," he reverberated quietly. 

"Your father; Lieutenant George Kirk, assumed command of his vessel before being killed in action, did he not?" 

Now, all your anger was directed at Spock. 

"I don't think you like the fact that I beat your test," Kirk snapped. 

"Furthermore, you have failed to define the purpose of the test." 

You had a funny feeling that you knew where this was going. 

"Enlighten me again." 

"The purpose is to experience fear," Spock mimicked your very words. Kirk visibly bristled, obviously from hearing this before. "Fear in the face of certain death. To accept that fear and maintain control of ones self and ones crew. This is a quality expected in every Starfleet captain." 

Tensions were at an all-time-high within the room. You were basically stuck in place, unable to move or think clearly. Thankfully, someone interrupted the session to deliver a message to Barnett. Everyone was listening, intent on why this was so important to interrupt a meeting of this caliber. 

Barnett snatched the file, eyes scanning over its contents, before he became visibly alarmed. 

"We've received a distress call from Vulcan," he stated, voice carrying throughout the entire hall. Silence filling the air, as Cadets waited with baited breath. "With our primary fleet engaged in the Lorentian system, I hereby order all Cadets to report to hanger 1 immediately. Dismissed." 

You frowned. A distress call from _Vulcan_? Standing straight, turning swiftly and following your other cadets as they marched out, you were glad that you didn't have to wait for Kirk to join you. This must have been a bad time for Spock -- hearing his own world was in some kind of danger. You gave a quick thought on offering your condolences, but you promptly remembered how he was almost as big of an ass to Kirk as you were, so left the thought dangling behind as you left the room. 

 

~*/**~ 

 

Arriving alone at Hanger 1, heels clicking on the polished ground below and the whiz of various passenger ships flying above you, there was an uneasy feeling in the air. Much to your annoyance however, you couldn't quite put your finger on it. Nerves soon got the better of you as you strode through various engineers, Cadets and medical officers towards the Commander who would tell you which ship you would be serving on. You were intent on making it aboard the best and newest ship Starfleet had to offer. You sure as hell deserved it. You worked your ass off for a place on that ship, and there was no-one who knew weaponry better than you. No-one who had trained harder or fought harder. No one who knew how to install, create or work any model of space-warfare equipment quite like you. So that new ship had no one better to call on than you. Or so you kept telling yourself. They called it 'The USS Enterprise' though it hadn't been truly christened yet. Perhaps after her maiden voyage? 

It seemed as if you had arrived in the nick of time, pushing your uniform down, and fixing your neat (hair colour) bun, you stood, awaiting your position amongst the sea of cadets. Whether fortune favours you or not, you chanced a glance to your side and saw possibly the only two people you could go the rest of your life _without_ seeing. James T. Kirk and- 

"McCoy; USS Enterprise." 

Great, you had missed your name being called. Damn. 

"Welcome to Starfleet, God speed." The commander jumped down off his podium, and you pushed through the crowd of dispersing Cadets to get to him. 

"Commander!" you called, watching him to turn. "I apologize Sir, but--" 

"Commander!" Another called, causing you to whip round, intent on giving whoever it was a thorough tongue-lashing for their inability to wait until others had finished speaking, when you realized it was Kirk. Double-great. He saw you and stopped, eyes flickering between you and the Commander. 

"Oh, sorry, I'm interrupting. Continue, please." He folded his arms behind his back, his smile now as false as your friendliness towards him had been. He was clearly pissed at how you had dogged him in. Jaw went slack as your mouth opened to say sorry. But the words caught in your throat and died along with your courage to look him in the eyes. So, unable to do anything else, you allowed your eyes to trace their way back quickly to the Commander, who was still waiting with a slight hint of irritation at the both of you for wasting his time. You regained your composure. 

"Commander, I apologize for being late and I take full responsibility. Unfortunately however, I was not here when you called my name. I have no idea which vessel I am assigned to." 

The man, a few inches shorter than yourself, sighed heavily, before lifting his notepad and tapping the screen to locate various lists of Cadet names and ships. You meanwhile, chanced a glance behind you and noticed a certain James T. Kirk was still glaring at you. Able to do nothing, and with no idea what to say to him, you turned your head back around. 

"Name?" the officer asked dryly. 

"(Last name), (First name), Sir." 

He double-tapped on a single line of writing, and you waited with baited breath for his darting eyes to tell you your fate. 

"(Last name), (First name), you are assigned to the USS Enterprise." 

You could seriously hug this guy right now. All of your work, all of your studying. All those relentless hours of learning and practicing had finally paid off. But you kept your composure, briefly nodding. 

"Yes, sir. Thank you." 

As you turned to find the carrier ship which would take you up to the Enterprise, Kirk barged past you, grabbing hold of the Commanders attention, and you slowed, a part of you wanting to hear the conversation between the two. 

"Commander!" You watched Kirk call, noticing the higher-ranking officer turn around again, this time, a little more forcefully. "Commander, Sir, you didn't call my name. Kirk, James T.?" 

"Kirk, you're on academic suspension. That means you're grounded until the academy board rules," the man states, scurrying off to attend to clearly more important matters. You noticed Kirk's eyes drop to the floor, his posture go visibly weak. All you knew was, that James T. Kirk wanted nothing more than to serve on a working vessel, one that would act in missions and require _his_ skills. This was the first time anything on a scale such as this had happened. And he had to miss it all. 

You opened your mouth to say sorry, to apologize, to say _something_ to the disappointed Cadet, but his friend was close behind and you would rather not be engaged in conversation with them at this point. 

"Jim, the board will rule in your favour," McCoy stated, trying to comfort his friend. "Most likely," he added as a mere after thought, only causing the situation to look that much more bleak. "Look Jim, I gotta go -" 

"Yeah, you go." Kirk turned, putting on a brave face and grabbing his friends hand, before shaking it. "Be safe." 

McCoy looked guilty, feeling the pain of his closest friend and able to do nothing but leave the cadet standing. Alone. You growled, annoyed at how easily Kirk could make you feel pity for him. As he strode past, McCoy's eyes connected with yours, cold and unsympathetic. You held his gaze for as long as you could, before you turned away, hoping his scrutinizing gaze, if not seen, would not affect how you felt. But it did. 

"James?" you called out to said Cadet, who was moving out of the way of busy workers, who were no doubt loading the ships. He turned, looked at you, and then turned away. Clearly, he wanted nothing more than to forget your face. "I'm sorry," you whispered. 

"I'll tell him you said so," McCoy stated as he shoved past you, striding over to his friend. Immediately you blushed, feeling stupid for letting someone hear you in a weak state. He crept up behind Kirk and linked his arm through his friends. "Come with me." Was all he said, before promptly dragging a confused Kirk away. 

You stood, alone, confused and embarrassed in the middle of Hanger 1. Shaking yourself quickly, you told yourself to not be so stupid, and made your way to your designated shuttle craft. You did, however, smirk at the thought of Kirk knowing you apologized. At least you wouldn't have to hear him gloat for the new few months.


	3. Maiden Voyage

It was... breath-taking. There were no other possible words to describe the Enterprise. Her very design was far superior to those from other fleets. The way she operated was like nothing you had ever seen before. It was all so State of the Art. The one element that really interested you, and made your passion for her grow, was her weaponry system. Everything she held, in terms of firepower, seemed like your prayers had been answered. It was just what you wished you would be working with. Even her defence mechanisms were brilliant. 

Too bad you were soon assigned a 'red shirt'. It was all well and good, being promoted, but there was a long-running joke that had been floating around amongst your fellow Cadets that 'red-shirts' (as they called them) had a high percentage and likelihood of death. You just hoped that it was a joke and nothing more. The reason for your spur-of-the-moment ranking change was due to your 'impressive credentials' that were enough to earn you a swift promotion from a high-ranking officer when he noticed you admiring one of the Enterprise's many torpedoes. He curtly asked you why is was that you weren't working like the others aboard this ship and you coolly replied that you were. Clearly not good enough for him, he asked for your name and swiftly pulled out your file from his handy PADD. The look of utter disbelief that ran across his face when he read though your skill set was priceless. Now, you thought, having a thorough understanding of advanced weaponry and the ability to perform threat elimination wasn't such a bad thing after all. Besides, specializing in rapid assault and precise application of lethal force was bound to help you out whatever the situation, right? 

Skipping merrily to the nearest secluded area of the ship, new colours in hand, you thought a small victory dance would be in order, to celebrate your small promotion to ' _Ensign_ (Last name)' rather than just 'Cadet'. You were, however, a little bummed out at the colours. Red was such an aggressive, bold colour. Certainly not your first choice, and it would be years before you could even be thinking about changing up to gold. You did, though, feel the rank was a little hastily given. The officer said you had 'outstanding ability in most fields' and that he was 'surprised you hadn't been granted the rank sooner' though it seemed like an official ceremony should be in order... or maybe that was just you. 

A full 15 minutes later, adorned in your brand-spanking new (you hoped) red dress, silver Starfleet badge glistening as you strode amongst others of the same rank, hair swinging, bun now forgotten in your moment of pride as your eyes sparkled when you thought of your new title... ' _Ensign (Last name)'-_

_"(First name)!"_

__You whipped around, and saw, much to your immediate alarm, someone skidding towards you, out of breath and panting._ _

__"Kirk?" Your jaw was slack. "How did you - why are you here?" You frowned. "I thought-"_ _

__He grabbed both your shoulders with his hands._ _

__"I'm so glad I've found you!"_ _

__Your heart did that stupid thing again._ _

__"JIM!"_ _

__You peeked around Kirk's shoulder, noticing McCoy tumble after his friend, medical box in hand, and what appeared to be a-_ _

__"ARGH!"_ _

__McCoy promptly thrust a shot, without warning, directly into Kirks neck, causing him to twitch away in pain._ _

__"STOP IT!" Kirk yelled._ _

__You could do nothing but stare on in horror partial confusion as Kirks frantic gaze landed on you again._ _

__"Come on, we've got to get Uhura!"_ _

__And with that, his hand was in yours, pulling you forcefully back along the way you had came, and out, into a deck full of red-shirts going about their daily work._ _

__Not aware of other people around him, Jim kept aimlessly barging into fellow crew members, leaving you to continuously wave a hand and apologize quickly before you disappeared into the mass of people. McCoy was behind you somewhere, finding it difficult to keep up, what with trying to concoct another serum to inject into Kirk whilst also trying to dodge as many people as you were._ _

__"UHURA!" Kirk shouted, spotting the woman sitting at her noisy and shared desk. "Uhura!!"_ _

__She sprang up, her face holding a somewhat similar expression to what yours must have looked like only minutes before._ _

__"Kirk, what are you doing here?"_ _

__Jim let go of your hand to use his own in a descriptive manner._ _

__"The transmission from the Klingon prison planet was -"_ _

__"Oh my God, what's wrong your hands?" She pointed out suddenly. It was true. You had been staring at them ever since he let go of yours. They were swollen above the average size. He waved his gigantic hands dismissively and continued trying to tell her something._ _

__"Look, who is responsible for the Klingon attack? But the ship was ronfgsnmbs. Wasb thes shipd romulnnn-"_ _

__You frowned. What?_ _

__"What?" Uhura mimicked your confusion._ _

__"Wass happinn to my mouthh?" Jim turned and asked, barely understandable, to a worried McCoy._ _

__"Ah, you got numb-tongue?"_ _

__"NUMM TOUNNNG?" Jim replied exasperatedly._ _

__"I can fix that!" McCoy stated, diving back into his medical box, clinking vials and what not._ _

__"Was the ship, _what?_ " Uhura pressed desperately. _ _

__"Wromullann!" Kirk tried to articulate._ _

__"What? I can't-"_ _

__"Wromulann!"_ _

__"Romulan?" Uhura deciphered._ _

__"Yeah!" Kirk pointed his fingers when she got it._ _

__"Yeah?" She nodded._ _

__"Yeah, yeah-"_ _

__McCoy shoved another shot abruptly into his neck._ _

__"AHH, GOD DAMMIT!"_ _

__You winced, watching him react. Suddenly, and yet again without warning, you were being roughly pulled by Kirks large hands through the ship. Your noisy protests fell on deaf ears and all you could see was the blur of lights as you ran along with Kirk to wherever the hell is was that you were going. This time you were being joined by an equally confused Uhura, her dark hair pulled up into a sleek ponytail was whipping about her with each stride._ _

__"Kirk, what the hell is going on?" you pressed, fearful that between his rough pulling at your hand and your firm tugging to get it back, your poor shoulder would give in and refuse to be a part of you anymore. At least if that happened McCoy could help you pop it back into place..._ _

__"We need to get to the bridge!" he threw over his shoulder, having lost the numbness in his tongue and most of the swelling in his hands. Uhura threw you a desperate glance as she sprinted to keep up. You could do nothing but offer her a confused look, signalling you had no idea what Kirk was on about. McCoy was just as confused as the rest of you, continuously yelling at Jim to stop._ _

__Before you knew it, large doors were sliding open and all four of you tumbled onto the bridge abruptly._ _

__"Captain Pike!!" Kirk shouted, still not letting go of your hand for fear you would run away. All members on the bridge, sitting or standing cool, calm and collected, were now all staring at your not-so-subtle entrance. "Captain Pike, Sir, we have to stop the ship-"_ _

__"Kirk?" Pike rose from his chair, and gave you both the most disapproving glare you have ever had the misfortune of receiving. "How the hell did you get on-board the Enterprise?"_ _

__"Captain, this man is under the influence of a severe reaction-" McCoy cut in, trying to save his friend from any hassle._ _

__"Bones, Bones please!" Kirk pleaded, one hand waving as he tried to gather all the attention he could. "Vulcan is not experiencing a natural disaster, it's being attacked by Romulans."_ _

__Silence had fallen over the bridge._ _

__"Romulans?" Pike reverberated, clearly not amused. "Cadet Kirk, I think you've had enough attention for one day. McCoy, take him back medical, we'll have words later."_ _

__"Aye, Captain," McCoy answered. Then the blazoned glare of Pike was turned on you. All the while, Kirk was fidgeting, trying to regain the attention of the Captain._ _

__"And you. Who are you?" Pike questioned, his looming position on the raised platform made him seem much taller than he probably was. You retreated slightly nonetheless._ _

__"Ensign (Last name), Captain." Voice strong and secure, you tried to sound as bold as the colours you were wearing. Whether or not it came out the way you had hoped was a different matter entirely. "I specialize in advanced weaponry and combat-"_ _

__"Why are you here?"_ _

__"Cadet Kirk has forcefully dragged me here, Sir, I am not here of my own accord," you answered formally, discretely slipping your hand out of Kirks. Pike paused for a moment, a mistake on his behalf, because the silence gave Kirk ample opportunity to speak again._ _

__"Look, Sir, that same anomaly-"_ _

__"Mr. Kirk is not clear to be aboard this vessel," Spock appeared from nowhere and randomly threw in. You narrowed your eyes as Kirk began arguing with Spock -- an officer with a position much higher than his own, until Spock offered to 'remove him' from the bridge._ _

__"Try it! This Cadet is trying to save the bridge!" Kirk shouted._ _

__"By recommending a full stop mid-warp during a rescue mission?" Spock retaliated with almost as much force._ _

__"It's not a rescue mission, Sir, it's an attack," Kirk stated to Pike._ _

__"Based on what facts?" Spock pressed._ _

__Admittedly, you were a little curious as to why Kirk was demanding such drastic actions be taken when the threat level seemed minimal. Not to mention, the entirety of the bridge seemed just as curious as you; they were focused, listening intently._ _

__"That same anomaly, a 'lightning storm in space' that we saw today also occurred on the day of my _birth_ , before a Romulan ship attacked the USS Kelvin," Kirk turned his glare from Spock back to Pike, as he added quietly, "you know that, Sir, I've read your dissertation." _ _

__The USS Kelvin... The last ship Kirk's father served on..._ _

__"The ship which had formidable and advanced weaponry was never seen or heard from again. The Kelvin attacked a place on the edge of Klingon space and at 2300 hours last night, there was an attack. Thirty-seven Klingon Warbirds destroyed by a Romulan, Sir, and it was reported that the Romulans were in one ship, one massive ship."_ _

__The silence was so thick, you were finding it difficult to breathe. Pike kept exchanging glances between Spock and Kirk, like he knew what Kirk was saying to be true, but he was flicking back and forth from believing him, or taking the 'logical' route and dismissing it. So finally, he spoke._ _

__"And you know of this Klingon attack, how?"_ _

__It was an interesting question, one you yourself would like to know the answer to also. Kirk merely turned his head to glance at Uhura. The dark-skinned beauty blinked once, twice and took a deep breath._ _

__"Sir, I intercepted and translated the message myself," she stated. "Kirks report is accurate."_ _

__"We're warping into a trap, Sir, there are Romulans waiting for us, I promise you that," Kirk's voice took a dangerous, warning tone. Pike turned to Spock, visibly wishing for a second opinion. The Vulcan held his neutral expression._ _

__"The Cadets logic is sound," he observed. There was a sigh of relief. Unfortunately though, it had come from you. Spock continued, "and Lieutenant Uhura is unmatched in xenolinquistics. We would be wise to accept her conclusion."_ _

__Suddenly, it felt like you had been forcibly slapped across the face as the true gravity of the situation finally hit you._ _

__"Pardon my interruption, Captain," you cut in hurriedly, stepping forward to address Pike personally, your body brushing against Kirk's shoulder by accident as you continued, "We're warping straight into a trap, correct?" you frowned as you finished, Kirk nodded beside you and Pike glanced around, pausing before he spoke._ _

__"Yes," he firmly answered._ _

__"So, we're warping straight into a battlefield, Sir? The Romulans are ready, waiting for us? There will be open firing between both us and the enemy ship?"_ _

__Your voice became more and more distressed as you finished, realizing the weight of the current situation._ _

__And it seemed Pike did too._ _

__"Ensign (Last name), what are you trying to -"_ _

__"The shields, raise them!" you threw spontaneously to the helmsman of the ship, a young boy, who looked at you as if you were crazy for giving orders. "The weapons, ready them!" you shouted, equally with as much force to whomever it was controlling the beautiful weaponry system of this craft. Still, no action was taken in obeying your orders, and you knew why. Pike was silent, crossing his arms and staring at you as if you were in deep shit for acting like you were the current Captain of this ship, when he was standing right in front of you. You whipped around, all confused eyes on you, the entire bridge wondering what you were getting at. Eyes panicking, your voice was strong with belief and knowledge as you turned to Pike. "We are warping into a war we _know is coming_ , sir, we should be ready for them. We should be taking every step to secure the well-being of this ship and her crew. _We should be ready to fight._ " _ _

__Without further acknowledgment of your wise words, Pike threw over his shoulder, "Scan Vulcan space, check for any transmissions in Romulan."_ _

__"Uh, Sir, I'm not sure I can distinguish the Romulan language from Vulcan," a red-shirt answered._ _

__"What about you?" Pike turned to Uhura. "Can you speak Romulan, Cadet...?"_ _

__"Uhura," she answered. "All three dialects, Sir."_ _

__"Uhura, relieve the Lieutenant," Pike ordered._ _

__"Yes, Sir," she nodded, before striding to take the place of the former red-shirt. "Sir," she said suddenly, her hand over a monitor at the desk as she continued, wary, "I pick up no Romulan transmission, or transmission of any kind in the area."_ _

__And, as you believed _him_ 100%, you knew why. _ _

__"It's because they're being attacked," both you and Kirk stated almost in sync. He glanced towards you, blue eyes focusing on your face, flickering between forgiveness and holding a grudge. You choose to faintly smile. He saw almost immediately, and looked away. Great, did anyone like you on this ship? There was a moment, a moment where everybody did nothing, and you fidgeted, uncomfortable at how no action was being taken. You exchanged a glance with Pike and he merely nodded._ _

__"Shields up," he ordered, taking his seat to survey the bridge as acting Captain. "Red alert." Sirens blared throughout the ship as the highest alert status that could be given was sounded, preparing the ship for combat. Officers hurried to their desks, all working on the bridge were at their designated stations, ready for any orders, whatever they may be, while you and Kirk just stood, side by side, both staring out the front window, mentally preparing yourselves for whatever was to come._ _

__"Arrival at Vulcan in 5 seconds."_ _

__So this was really happening?_ _

__"4."_ _

__You panicked, having never been in any type of warfare before, and only feeling fear from the Kobayashi Maru. Though that wasn't real-_ _

__"3."_ _

__"Jim," you grabbed his hand suddenly, causing him to turn to you abruptly, as you whispered, "I'm sorry."_ _

__"2."_ _

__"Yeah, I know," he whispered back, squeezing your hand lightly._ _

__The ship screeched out of warp and the devastation you saw was unbelievable. Debris of the fleet that had arrived sooner was flying past you, some even destroyed completely. Fire and explosions littered the space between you and anything visible. It was like a graveyard of ships, fresh in their deaths. The entire fleet which the Enterprise belonged to, all her sister ships, they had been completely obliterated. All those lives, just gone. Extinguished. You covered your mouth in shock, subconsciously stepping closer to Kirk for comfort._ _

__"Emergency evasive!" Pike shouted, the Enterprise juddering and rocking at every which angle, the young helmsman working best he could to avoid any pieces of what was left of the ships from crashing into the one you were situated on._ _

__"Oh my God," you whispered, your free arm instinctively hooking round Kirk's opposing shoulder as you quickly brought yourself close to him, hugging into his body. Your mind was a blur, you didn't think straight. You couldn't. This all seemed so surreal. You felt like if you didn't look at it, then it would go away. Like it would cease to exist. Kirk kept you close, despite his knowledge on your history of hating him, he still felt close to you. Like he needed to be to close to you._ _

__And of course, it was inevitable that it would happen. _Collisions_ in a field of waste material as large as the one you were traveling through were bound to happen at some point. But when it did, you could help but utter a cry of fear. Kirk tightened his grip on you, whether it was for comfort or for protection, you didn't know, nor did you care. You were almost completely sure you were about to die. And you had to admit, you were scared too. _ _

__"Damage report!" Pike's voice seemed distant, whether it was because tears had began to roll from your eyes, or whether you were concentrating solely on blocking everything and everyone except Kirk out of your mind._ _

__"Deflector shields are holding!"_ _

__"Starboard 90 degrees! Drop us down underneath her Sulu!" Pike ordered._ _

__You whimpered, feeling the scrape of something large hit the ship. Kirk's hands brought you unbelievably close. A few months ago, you wouldn't have thought twice about disemboweling him where he stood for touching you in the way that he did. But now, all you could do was grip him tighter and pull him closer._ _

__"I'm right here," he stated, close to your ear. You nodded frantically, feeling weak as you sobbed uncontrollably. "I'm not going anywhere." Tears continued to curse down your cheeks, betraying you to everyone who saw. Strangely though, you didn't care, and you felt like maybe you would pay for that later._ _

__You felt Kirk relax suddenly and drop his grip, causing you to pull back and turn, to glance at what was making him look so shocked. He was right. The Romulans _were_ in one massive ship. Out of the window, graceful in its demeanor, was possibly one of the largest vessels you had ever set eyes upon. It was grizzly. Black in color with clawed edges all curved into a point at the end, threatening to look at. She was beautiful, but a believable force to be reckoned with. _ _

__"Captain, they're locking torpedoes," Spock shared with the bridge, causing you to panic._ _

__"Divert axillary power, report the cells to forward shields." Pike, heavily shocked himself at the pure power of the vessel before him, threw at one of the red-shirts. You gripped the bar in front of you, gritting your teeth as heavy torpedoes shattered themselves into the side of the ship, causing everyone to jolt forwards and backwards._ _

__"Sulu, status report."_ _

__"Shields at 32%, the weapons are powerful, sir, we can't take another hit like that!" Sulu warned._ _

__"Give me Starfleet command!" Pike threw at Spock._ _

__"Captain, the Romulan ship has lowered some kind of high energy pulse device into the Vulcan atmosphere. It's signal appears to be blocking our communications and transporter abilities." Spock turned in his seat, but you couldn't tell if he was worried for his planet or just reading some information off of a screen, his voice was so mono-tone._ _

__"All power to forward shields, prepare to fire all weapons," Pike dismissed Spock in favor of doing what you had suggested earlier._ _

__You couldn't deny that you were scared at this moment. Hell, you would shit your pants if you weren't in a room full of people._ _

__"Captain, we're being hailed," Uhura shouted, above all the noise._ _

__Without further warning, the image of a Romulan appeared on screen. Everybody, despite the chaos seconds before, fell silent in favour of listening to what this man had to say. He was Romulan, that much was clear, though he seemed relatively normal, despite his previous actions of destroying an entire fleet of what was known to be 'peacekeeping' ships._ _

__"Hello," he said, almost nonchalantly._ _

__"I'm Captain Christopher Pike, to whom am I speaking?" Pike questioned, warily._ _

__"Hi Christopher, I'm Nero," This man was either completely delusional or completely psychotic. He spoke like he had just met Pike in a library somewhere, instead of the fact that moments before, he had tried to kill the entire crew. Even Kirk looked wary._ _

__"You have declared war against the Federation, withdraw, I'll agree to arrange a conference with Romulan leadership at a neutral location."_ _

__"I do not speak for the Empire," Nero cut in, "We stand apart. As does your Vulcan crew member, isn't that right, Spock?"_ _

__Immediately, a violent glare was cast in Spocks direction. So he knew this asshole? Said Vulcan stood._ _

__"Pardon me, I do not believe that you and I are acquainted."_ _

__Oh. So maybe he didn't._ _

__"No we're not. Not yet." Nero's face flickered with the connection signal weakening, giving him an intensifying aura of power. "There is something I would like you to see."_ _

__You frowned. This shit was certainly getting heavy._ _

__"Captain Pike, your transporter has been disabled, as you can see by the rest of your armada, you have no choice. You will board a shuttle, come on board the Narada for... negotiations. That is all." The screen shook, flickered, then went black. A hanging silence consumed the bridge. No one wanted to speak. Pike did nothing._ _

__Then he stood, and made his way off the raised platform._ _

__"He'll kill you, you know that," Kirk blurted._ _

__"Your survival is unlikely," Spock interjected._ _

__"Captain we gain nothing by diplomacy, going over to that ship is a mistake," Kirk warned, eyes intently focused._ _

__"I, too, agree. You should re-think your strategy," Spock reasoned._ _

__"I understand that," Pike said, eyes downcast._ _

__"Wait, Captain, there is something you should know about that device," you cut in suddenly, pointing outside the window towards the Romulan ship as you realized something vital and important. Pike turned to face the window, looking out at the device._ _

__"Okay, so what the hell is it?" Pike questioned, not once taking his eyes off the machine blasting its way into Vulcan's atmosphere. You noticed, from your peripheral vision, that Kirk and Spock were watching you like a hawk as you scanned the powerful mechanisms on the device._ _

__"It's not a weapon," you stated. Pike opened his mouth to argue back, but you quickly cut him off. "It looks like a high-energy plasma _drill._ " Striding forwards, quickly getting as close as you could to the front window of the bridge, you placed your hands so they would move and point out particular bits on the Romulan machine to the rest of the bridge. "You see the interlinking joints that act as a type of 'spine'? Normal high power or large scale weapons don't have that." You drew a slender finger down the column on the window. "They _can't_ have that. It wouldn't give the operator any stability," you whispered. Turning sharply back, eyes focused and resolute, you addressed the entire room of people. "The beam it's giving off is too thick and uncontrolled. It looks like a high-intensity energy beam. Whatever Nero is trying to do, he wants to cause as much damage as possible to Vulcan. But it doesn't make sense though..." you trailed off, too confused in your own thoughts to notice Kirk step close to you. _ _

__"What (First name)? What is he doing? What doesn't make sense?" He grabbed your shoulder and lightly shook you, bringing you crashing back into the room, and with it, jolting you into understanding. Your hands ran up Kirks arms and ghosted over his hands, securing them in place tightly. You turned your body to face Pike, but your eyes were securely fixed upon Spock's._ _

__"He's trying to drill into the core of Vulcan. He's trying to inflict massive destruction on the planet. As much as he can. Perhaps destroy it entirely."_ _

__Everyone was silent at the new and ominous enlightenment. Pike ran a hand through his hair, pausing before he spoke._ _

__"Thank you, Ensign (Last name)."_ _

__You nodded, glad to have been able to offer assistance._ _

__"I need officers who have been trained in advanced hand-to-hand combat." Pike glanced around the room._ _

__"I have training, Sir," the helmsman, Sulu, spoke, raising his hand._ _

__"I do too," you boldly stepped forward._ _

__"Come with me." Pike pointed to Sulu, who stood. "But you," he motioned towards you, nodding, "will not. Your knowledge in advanced weaponry will be needed to figure out how to stop that... drill," he ordered._ _

__You nodded curtly._ _

__"Kirk, you're coming too, you shouldn't be here anyway," Pike sighed, as Kirk nodded, his hands still in your grasp, eyes landing and connecting with yours. You smiled, whispering 'go' as he grinned and did so. "Chekov, you have the con," Pike threw over his shoulder as he departed._ _

__"A-aye, Captain," a fresh-faced youth acknowledged with a thick Russian accent._ _

__Stepping closer to the window once more, gazing down at the orange-yellow beam, you realized something. Maybe Kirk wasn't such a bad-guy after all. Perhaps you could even get used to having him constantly being so close. That, of course, you would keep to yourself... for now._ _


	4. You Miss Me?

You were busy, concentrating hard, chewing on the ends of your nails as you stared out the front window. The glaring lights from the bridge reflected off the screen, creating silhouettes and ghost movements of your fellow crew members. You paid no attention. Instead, your eyes were darting furiously along the drill, trying to find the three men who were sent to destroy it. A part of you panicked, thinking there was no way in hell they could land on the device from a drop like that, not to mention attempting to disable it. 

The doors to the bridge slid open and someone entered, though you took no notice. Another part of you wondered why in God's name you were so hyped up about all this. It was a simple task they had to perform. It was three men you barely knew, all of whom you had no form of relationship or bonds with. You kept telling yourself that over and over. It made you feel better if you lied. 

It made things less... complicated. 

A pulsating noise emitted from the front window, accompanied swiftly by a detailed diagram. You took a step back, silent, and stared at the contents. It showed them: Sulu, Olsen, _James_ \- all free-falling, barely skimming the edges of the weapon, seeming small, tiny and insignificant against the alien drill, hulking and brutal in its demeanour. 

You had no idea that you weren't breathing. 

" _A team_ is entering the atmosphere, sir!" a Russian accent met your ears and you focused harder on one specific figure in a blue suit. 

Kirk. 

"20,000 meters," Chekov stated. You gripped the hem of your red ensign uniform - the skirt riding up to your mid-thigh - and rolled the material between your fingers. Distracting as it may be, you still couldn't help but bite your bottom lip with nerves. 

"Approaching the platform at 5800 meters," Chekov informed. 

The three men were closing the gap between them and the drill, with alarming speed. 

"This was a bad idea," you mumbled, stepping back a few feet, allowing a clearer view of the event unfolding in front of you. 

"Kirk to enterprise!" The voice rang clear through the bridge. "Distance to target 5000 meters." 

Your stomach did back-flips and you gripped the hem of your uniform tighter. 

"4,600 meters from the platform!" the young Russian interjected. 

"4,500 meters from target!" What you could only assume was Sulu's voice echoed round the room. 

"4,000 meters..." Kirk radioed in. 

Your heartbeat elevated. 

"3,000 meters!" Sulu informed. 

"3,000 meters!" the engineer - Olsen, you were sure you heard - copied Sulu as they all descended at an alarmingly fast rate. Quicker than you imagined... 

And that made you uneasy. 

It made you panic. 

"2,000 meters!" Kirk shouted, and that was it. You couldn't control yourself anymore. You wanted him safe, hell, maybe you just wanted him to stop being so goddamned reckless. Whatever it was, you were no longer a silent spectator on the bridge. Your hands clenched into fists around your dress, your knuckles turning white. 

"For Christ's sake, pull your chute goddammit!" you shouted suddenly, not even sure if he could hear you at all. People on the bridge gave you disapproving looks when you used your voice to yell obscenities. 

After a moment of hesitation, their voices rang clear. 

"Pulling chute!" Sulu confirmed. 

After which, a silent Kirk also pulled his parachute. You sighed a heavy breath of relief. 

"2000 meters!" Olsen shouted. 

"Come on, pull your chute, Olsen!" you heard Kirk plea to what he assumed, was only himself. He didn't realize the connection between himself and bride was still going strong. 

"No, not yet, not yet!" Olsen reasoned blindly, still descending, picking up speed. "1500 meters!" 

You interjected, forgetting your place - yet again - and having not yet been challenged by Spock as the acting Captain. 

"Engineer Olsen, in light of the current circumstances, I recommend you pull your fucking chute, NOW!" 

The man ignored you in favour of letting out a rather -- in some ways -- inappropriate 'yee-haw'. 

"1000 meters!" he screeched. 

"Olsen, pull your chute!" Kirk shouted as a last-minute attempt. 

The man finally complied, but, in the midst of everything, he lost control of his speed and position. His chute got caught and he was dragged, torn, scraped along the machine, until it promptly pulled him into its beam. Then he was... gone. 

"OLSEN!" Sulu screamed. 

"Oh god..." Kirk whispered. 

"Olsen is, Olsen is gone, sir..." Chekov stuttered, unable to fathom the events which happened far too quickly for any of you to possibly understand. 

Back on the screen, you watched as the blue figure was able to manoeuvre and land safely on the drill platform. 

"Kirk has landed, sir!" Chekov confirmed your hopes and you visibly relaxed. 

"Oh, thank god," it was a whisper, but strangely, you didn't care that you were voicing your concerns to others that could clearly hear them. 

As you took a step back, comfort washed over you in the knowledge that he is safe. That Kirk is alright. For now at least. 

"Ensign (Last name)," Spock called your name suddenly. 

You turn, as you heard the acting Captain speak directly to you. 

"Yes, Captain?" you answered - with only a hint of disdain - as you walked to stand beside him, able to address him fully as he sat straight in the Captains chair. He lowered his voice and held your gaze. 

"If all goes well, and we are able to shut off the drill, will the planet still be in a functional state?" 

"I...don't understand the question, sir." You narrowed your eyes in confusion. Spock merely stared at you. 

"How much damage has the drill done to Vulcan already? If everything does go to plan, with your knowledge of advanced weaponry and artillery, would you say the planet could still perform normally, despite the large impact the drill has inflicted upon it?" 

You took a moment to think about the question, to weigh the variables and take into account that this was his home planet. 

"It's hard to say. We are in the golden few minutes right now, sir, and what can and cannot be done now is vital. In my opinion, with the right action and precautions taken, Vulcan would still be able to function normally. However, if that drill is left engaged for very much longer, the chances are that the planet could-" 

"The jamming signal is gone! Transport abilities are re-established!" suddenly, and without warning, Uhura cut in. Spock immediately lost sight of you in favour of listening to the talented beauty. 

"Transporter control is re-engaged!" Chekov chimed, causing you to look up. 

"So we have full-capability to beam those men back aboard the ship?" you asked. 

"Chekov, run gravitational sensors, I want to know what they are doing to the planet." Spock stood, ignoring your question. It was dismissed by Chekov too, causing you to sigh in annoyance. 

"Aye, commander-" the young Russian made a tutting noise, "Ah, Captain, sorry, Captain." The young boy then proceeded to furiously type away at the screen in front of him, while you turned your attention back to the window of the bridge, and at the diagram painted upon it. You watched as you saw the yellow and the blue icon suddenly move closer to the edge of the drill. 

But what for? 

Your eyebrows knitted together. 

"Kirk to enterprise," 

You jumped slightly at the abrupt voice that sounded overhead. 

"They just launched something into the planet, through the hole they just drilled. Do you copy, Enterprise?" Jim radioed in, and you could tell he was out of breath, and uneasy about something. 

Then, it seemed, as if the bridge really came alive, and, it made you on edge. Red-shirts began to bicker to one another, each seeming distressed about the new, and albeit, brief information Kirk had just given. 

"Captain, gravitational sensors are off the scale, if my calculations are correct, they're creating a single entity - " Chekov spluttered out. 

Oh, shit. 

So that's why everyone was worried. 

The boy continued, though his face was contorted with trying to find the right words to say, " - that will consume the planet," he finished, looking alarmed as he glanced over his shoulder at you, who understood the full depth of the situation, and then to Spock, who's home planet was minutes away from total annihilation. 

"They're creating a black hole in the centre of Vulcan?" Spock quietly asked, though you could tell it was rhetorical. 

"Yes, sir," the boy sadly answered. 

"How long does the planet have?" 

"Minutes, sir, minutes." 

Spock stood from his chair swiftly, tossing over his shoulder, "Alert Vulcan command centre to signal a planet wide evacuation, all channels, all frequencies, and maintain standard orbit." 

"Where are you going?" you heard Uhura ask suddenly, sounding worried, and you turned to watch them. 

"To evacuate the Vulcan high council. They are tasked with protecting our cultural history, my parents will be among them," Spock answered, concerned for the safety and well-being of his family. 

"Can't you beam them out?" Uhura tried to reason. 

"It is impossible, they will be in the Catric arc. I must get them myself," Spock dismissed her, stepping inside of the elevator. "Checkov, you have the con." 

 

"Aye, aye, aye," Chekov muttered, as you stood beside him, not fully convinced that this was all actually happening. 

"Kirk to enterprise, beam us out of here!" Kirk's voice pulled you from eavesdropping the acting Captain and as his words sunk in, nerves erupted in your stomach once more. 

"Stand by locking on your signal," a red-shirt answered, tapping on her touch screen, preparing to beam both Sulu and Kirk back aboard the Enterprise. 

But as your gaze landed on the horizon once more, the worst seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. You noticed the Drill swing, almost as if was being pulled upwards, retracted. 

And it was. 

The blue icon lost its balance and tumbled to the floor - but the yellow icon, who was standing too close to the edge, lost its footing and swayed on the edge of the drill. 

Sulu was going to fall. 

"I can't lock on to you! Don't move, don't move!" the woman seemed to notice too, as she called for neither to move a muscle. 

You brought your hands to your face as the yellow icon couldn't hold his position for any longer. Sulu fell, and the blue icon ran after him. 

"SULU!" Kirk screamed, and then he did the unthinkable, the stupid thing to do, the...right thing to do. He jumped off after Sulu. 

You had a fucking panic attack as you watched both free-fall, tumbling down into the wreckage of Vulcan. You gripped Chekov's shoulder, and, strangely, the boy said nothing to stop you, nor did he even tense. 

"I've got you! Now pull my chute!" Kirk caught Sulu, and the man pulled Jim's chute, but, due to the velocity and speed of their fall, the parachute couldn't withstand the pressure, and broke. 

"Kirk to enterprise, we're falling without a chute! Beam us UP!" Kirk pleaded, panic now evident in his voice. 

"I'm trying, I cant lock onto your signal!!" the redshirt responded, eyes wide and hands desperate to find their position and lock on. 

"BEAM US UP!" 

"You're moving too fast!" she tried to reason. 

"I can do that," you heard the boy beside you mutter. "I can do that!!" He stood, defiant as he looked straight at you, your faces mere inches apart. 

"Then do it! Do it, hurry!" you patted him on the shoulder as he turned and sprinted away. 

"Take the con!" Chekov threw to the nearest blue shirt. 

The woman simply turned to Uhura, a mixture of realization and panic sitting on her pretty face. 

"The black hole is expanding, we won't reach minimum safe distance if we don't leave immediately." She glanced at you. 

You could do nothing but run out of the bridge after Chekov. 

The boy was a few meters in front of you, yelling to fellow crew members as he swung round corners and pushed them out of the way. 

"Move, move, move! I can do that!" he shouted, shoes squeaking on the polished floor. 

"Chekov, hurry up!" you pleaded, hot on his tail. 

You both skidded into the transporter room, out of breath, and panic-stricken. 

"Give me the control, I can lock on!" Chekov pushed a red-shirt out of the seat, whilst you grabbed a fistful of your (hair colour) locks in desperation and frustration, eyes hocked upon the platform, pacing back and forth, murmuring incomprehensible words in a pathetic attempt to calm yourself down. 

"Beam us up! Enterprise _where are you?!_ " Kirk sounded lost and alone amidst the chaos around him. 

"Hold on, hold on, hold on!" Chekov voice sounded to Kirk, as his body was hunched over the monitor, hands whizzing round its surface. 

"Now, now, now! DO IT NOW!!" Kirk screamed. 

"Okay, okay, hold on, compensating gravitational pull, aaannd....gotcha!" Chekov's face lit up as he glanced straight at the platform. 

Seconds later, the pair energized from the roof and thudded painfully onto the floor of the platform below. 

"Yomayo!" the young Russian clapped his hands together in excitement. Without a seconds thought, you kissed him on the cheek and squeezed him tightly in a hug. 

"Well _done_ , Chekov!" you grinned at him, a hint of red dusted his cheeks as he nodded in return. 

Without a moment to spare, your eyes relished in the sight of the two men, groaning and mumbling in pain, safe and sound aboard the Enterprise. 

"Thanks," Sulu mumbled quietly from the floor. 

"No problem," Kirk groaned back. 

"Jim?" You visibly brightened when he looked up at you. 

"Hey, (First name)," he flashed you his trademark smirk as he crawled to all fours and hesitated, wincing and swaying slightly as he stood. "You miss me?"


	5. Lost

That grin. 

That smirk of his. 

It was unique. One-of-a-kind. You had to admit, he wore it well. Despite the fact that seconds before he was falling to his death, unable to make contact with the people he was depending on to save his life. Yet there he was. Smiling at _you._

And you couldn't help it. 

You grinned back. 

"I suppose it's good to see that you're not dead," you spoke, oblivious to the others in the room. And it looked like he didn't notice either - or care, whichever one it was. 

"That's not like you _Ensign_ (Last name)," Kirk mocked, calling you by your proper title for the first time. You could have sworn you saw him wink as he finished, "You are usually so... _reserved_." 

His gaze flickered back and forth from looking directly upon you, and staring elsewhere. Like he was daring you. Daring you to admit that you liked him. 

But did you? 

You grinned. 

"Only reserved with you." 

"But do you have to be?" he asked quickly - maybe a little too quickly - eyes intently focused on yours. The question caught you off guard. 

Mouth opened to give him a quick and sarcastic retort, but something held you back -- stopped you. Instead, you flashed him his own trademark signature -- a taunting smirk -- and went to turn around -- to walk away from him. 

And as you did, he grabbed you, his hand firm yet gentle, silently pleading you to remain. 

You were pulled back around and into a tight embrace. 

James T. Kirk pressed his face into your neck, and your eyes went wide -- you were confused. Confused as to why he was behaving like this and confused as to why you didn't stop him. Confused as to why you pulled him tighter, closer to you, and pressed your face close to his neck, breathing in his scent and not pulling away when his hot breath fanned across your face from his close proximity. 

It was all so... _confusing._

"Clear the pad, I'm beaming to the surface." 

The voice startled you like nothing on Earth and you and Kirk immediately jumped apart as Spock barged between you both, knocking you off the platform. 

"The surface of what?" Kirk asked, still close from his... encounter with you. 

Spock said nothing and knelt down on the pad. 

"What, you're going down there? Are you nuts?" Kirk shouted, trying to reason with the Vulcan. "Spock, you can't do that!" 

"Energize," Spock ordered without so much as a glance in your direction. 

"Spock!" 

With that, he was gone, vanished from the spot. You and Kirk exchanged a worried look, staying silent for what seemed like hours. As time nervously ticked away, your breath heightened with each passing moment, and the more time went by, the more you were consciously aware of Kirks ~~closeness~~ _presence_ beside you. 

Suddenly Spock's voice filled the room and your heart rate elevated as you registered the weight of the situation. _Vulcan didn't have much time until it would be completely annihilated_. 

"Spock to Enterprise, get us out _now!_ " 

"Locking volume, don't move, stay right where you are," Chekov stated, his hands whizzed around the surface of his screen. Your eyes darted to the monitor before the young Russian and you noted the position of Spock and the elders he had saved - his mother and father among them. 

The groan of the Enterprise gave a tell-tale sign that she had begun to energize her captain and his fellow Vulcans. 

"Transport in 5, 4," --Checkov confirmed your hopes by initiating the countdown aloud-- "3, 2,-" 

Suddenly, Checkov started panicking, causing both you and Kirk's gazes to snap his way. 

"I'm losing her, I'm losing her!" he cried, standing so fast his chair hit the floor below and was quickly forgotten in his haste to save who you could only assume was Spock's mother. 

"N-no, I've lost her..." the boy cried out in defeat, staring at the screen in disbelief. 

With a _whirr_ , particles of light swooped in their arching pattern, signifying the imminent energizing of Spock and his rescued Vulcans. As the bodies became clearer, you were able to make out Spock and with it, the look of sheer heartache and disbelief written clear across his face. 

Checkov, Sulu, James and yourself could do nothing but on look as helpless spectators as you watched Spock stare at the place his mother had been just seconds before. 

The worst part was, his hand was still outstretched in her direction. 

_As if she was still there to him._

_As if he could still bring her back._


	6. Come Back To Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everyone, please enjoy ^^

There was nothing that anyone on the entire ship could do. 

_Not one single thing._

The most you could do was watch, pathetic and silent, as Vulcan imploded and left nothing but another patch of emptiness drowned in the surrounding darkness. You tried to move your eyes away as the planet crumbled into itself, but tearing your eyes away felt like a sin. You felt like you _had_ to watch this destruction happen as a reminder of what you had failed to protect. 

Right now, the atmosphere was thick and heavy - but strangely not suffocating. On the bridge, everyone was sitting, standing, staring, discussing strained ideas. You had nothing you felt was relevant or worthy of sharing, so you stood quietly behind Kirk, who had taken up residency in the captains chair, _despite_ you having sent various glares and hisses of 'get out of that _damn chair_ ' at him. 

There had been no word from Captain Pike, so you just had to assume the worst (or near to the worst) had happened; that he was either dead -- which you hoped he wasn't -- or that he was being held somewhere where he couldn't contact the Enterprise. As of a few minutes ago, the crew had now classified him as a hostage of the war-criminal known as 'Nero'. 

Nero had destroyed Vulcan, along with over six billion of it's inhabitants. You had overheard Spock discussing with his elders that he estimated the surviving members of their race to be in the dwindling numbers of only ten thousand. 

"Have you confirmed that Nero is headed for Earth?" Spock interrupted your thoughts, passing Uhura. 

"Their trajectory suggests no other destination, Captain," she answered, spinning in her chair to face him. 

"Thank you, Lieutenant," he nodded. 

From his high and mighty position in the captain's chair, Kirk threw in, "Earth may be his next stop, but we have to assume _every federation planet_ is a target." 

You had to agree. A vengeful Romulan with superior weaponry and a ship well beyond anything Starfleet had ever seen before was unlikely to stop at one federation planet. 

Spock didn't even need to cast him a glare when he threw back, " _Out of the chair._ " 

You could almost feel Kirk roll his eyes as he lolled out of the chair and slouched off the podium, moving himself to stand against one of the railings beside you. You threw him a knowing look and an eye movement that said _'I damn well told you so,_ '. 

He raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth, showing shock, eyes screaming back, ' _Yeah, but I didn't think he'd actually kick me off the damn chair_ ' before he crossed his arms and looked away, stubborn as he began to sulk. You couldn't help but giggle, although thankfully you managed to suppress it. 

"Well if the federation is the target, why didn't they destroy us?" Chekov queried as he turned his chair to face Sulu. 

The other boy shrugged. 

"Why would they? Why waste the weapons? We obviously weren't a threat," Sulu answered, turning to Spock. The Vulcan head up a hand. 

"That is not is," he pondered, "he said he wanted me to see something -- the destruction of my home planet..." 

"How the hell did they do that by the way?" Bones threw in, looking over his shoulder at you and Kirk. You both shrugged in unison. The medical officer sighed angrily, "Where did the Romulans get that kind of weaponry?" 

"The engineering comprehension necessary to artificially create a black hole may suggest an answer," Spock answered. "Such technology theoretically could be manipulated to create a tunnel through space-time." 

"Dammit man, I'm a doctor, not a physicist!" McCoy threw back, angry. 

"Captain Spock is suggesting the possibility that the Romulans who attacked us today have created a sort of tunnel from their time and dimension in space, to ours," you answered McCoy coolly, watching Kirk cast you a sideways look. 

McCoy whipped around to face Spock. 

"Are you actually suggesting they're from the future?!" 

"If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth," Spock quoted. 

"Sherlock Homes," you nodded, smiling. 

Everyone on the bridge turned to you, eyebrows furrowed and faces confused. 

"Classic Earth Literature," you mumbled, bowing your head, sensing Kirk smile. 

"Yes," Spock agreed, gifting you with a look softer than his usual stoic ones. 

"How poetic," McCoy scoffed. 

"Then what would an angry, _future Romulan_ want with Captain Pike?" Kirk questioned, leaning back on the railings behind him. 

"As Captain, he does know details of Starfleet's defences," Sulu added, raising his brows. 

"What we need to do is catch up to that ship, disable it and get Pike back." Kirk pushed himself off the railings and stood facing Spock. 

"We are technologically outmatched in every way, a rescue attempt would be illogical," said Vulcan argued. 

"Although I agree that we are hopelessly outgunned in terms of fire power and brute force, Captain Pike is still our solid commander and a fellow member of Starfleet. I would feel that morally it is a bad decision to not attempt to save him," you added, coming up beside Kirk to stare at Spock. 

"Nero's ship would have to drop out of warp for us to overtake them," Chekov piped up, bringing to light yet another aspect previously overlooked. 

_There would be no way in hell that the Enterprise could catch up to a ship already in warp_. 

Kirk shuffled uncomfortably. 

"Then, what about assigning engineering crews to try and boost our warp yields?" he proposed, turning to you. "You're an engineer, you could do it?" 

"My skills are _nothing_ to do with warp capabilities, I would be unable to perform anything of the sort," you sighed, running a hand through your hair. 

"Remaining power and crew are being used to repair radiation leaks on the lower decks and damage to subspace communications without-" 

"Alright!" Kirk cut in, "Okay, alright! There's got to be some way-!" 

"We must gather with the rest of Starfleet to balance the terms of the next engagement-" 

"There won't be a next engagement!" Kirk shouted. "By the time we've _gathered_ it will be too late." 

Spock remained silent, eyes fixated on Kirk's defiant blue ones as he continued. 

"You say he's from the future, so he know what's gonna happen? Then the logical thing is to be unpredictable!" 

"You're assuming that Nero knows how events are predicted to unfold. On the contrary, Nero's very presence has altered the flow of history, beginning with the attack on the U.S.S. Kelvin, culminating in the events of today, thereby creating an entire new chain of incidents that cannot be anticipated by either party," Spock explained. 

"An alternate reality," Uhura clarified, stepping forward. 

"Precisely," Spock agrees. 

"Is that even possible," you mumble, words failing to reach anyone. 

"Whatever our lives might have been, if the time continuum was disrupted, our destinies have changed," Spock explained, sitting down in the captain's chair. "Mr. Sulu, plot a course for the Laurentian system, warp factor 3." 

"Spock, don't do that," Kirk warned. "Running back to the rest of the fleet for a _confab_ is a massive waste of time-" 

"These are the orders issued by Captain Pike when he left the ship-" 

"He also ordered us to go back and get him! Spock you are _Captain now_ -" 

"I am aware of my responsibilities, Mr.Kirk-" 

"Every second we waste, Nero's getting closer to his next target-" 

"That is correct, and why I'm instructing you to accept the fact that _I alone am in command_ -" 

"I will not allow us to go backwards-!" 

"James, _he_ is the captain!" you shouted, "you _have_ to listen to him-" 

"away from the problem, instead of hunting Nero down!" Kirk yelled over you. 

There was a split second of relished silence, before Spock stood. 

"Security," he called. "Escort him out." 

"Wait," you interjected, "he's just a little angry, Captain, please-" 

"You should remain silent too, Ensign (Last name), unless you wish to join Mr. Kirk," Spock threw over his shoulder, not even turning to face you. 

You piped down, not understanding why you were so quick to reason with Spock and stick up for Kirk in the first place. From over Spock's shoulder, Kirk tossed you a blazoned look to keep quiet and you couldn't hold his gaze. 

From behind, two other red-shirts grabbed him under his arms, forcibly dragging him away from the Captains chair. They only got a few meters away before Kirk kicked up again, swinging punches that all landed and fighting his way out of his problems. 

"James!" you yelled, "Stop it!"

He turned swiftly, to lock eyes with you, his seemed fearful for a second that he had shown a side of personality that you perhaps disliked, as you stared in shock at his display of violence. 

Spock was quick to intervene, catching his neck with a nerve pinch that rendered Kirk unconscious as his body fell limply to the floor. Unaware of your movements, your legs carried you forward -- perhaps to aid Kirk in his unconscious state, but you were soon halted in your tracks by Spock's strong arm stretched out in front of you. 

"Get him off this ship," Spock ordered to security. 

"Wait, Captain, isn't that a little drastic?" you argued, watching security drag Kirk's body away and off the bridge. "He was just angry, if you put him in detainment, I'm sure he would have cooled down-" 

"Ensign (Last name)," Spock called, turning to face you. "Do not argue with me on this matter. Cadet Kirk is not clear to be aboard this ship in the first place. He has no respect for his commanding officers and is a detrimental aspect of this mission." 

The entire bridge was silent as you glared at Spock. 

"Yes, _Captain_ ," you spat, turning sharply and excusing yourself off the bridge. _Stupid Spock. Stupid Kirk. Stupid everybody._ You huffed and mumbled angrily to yourself, peering round corners as you ran after security. Like _hell_ you would let that pointy-eared bastard send Kirk off the ship. 

Dammit. 

Who were you? Just a simple Ensign. 

Was Kirk your friend? No. 

Definitely not. 

Maybe. 

Dammit. You didn't even know anymore. Something was pulling you towards him and it was certainly not burning hatred like it used to be. It was something stronger and much less angry. He was there for you when you needed it, and now, you would be there for him. You were simply returning the favour. That was all. 

Security were just in front of you, pausing at one of the doors to the pods, Kirk's body still limp on the floor as he lolled about any which way. Dammit, he looked so stupid. 

"Excuse me," you stepped forward, approaching the two security guards in bold red-shirts, both of their attention swooping to you at once. "This Cadet is under my division, and therefore under my authority." 

They looked to your badge once. 

"Isn't your division engineering?" 

Dammit. 

"Uhm, yes, but he's acting as one of my subordinates," you ~~lied~~ _clarified_. "Please release him and I, myself, will take further action in securing his pod off of this ship." 

They looked between themselves and then stared at you. 

"No," they stated in unison. 

"Please?" you tried again, mentally slapping yourself for how stupid you sounded. 

"Acting Captain Spock has given us direct orders, miss, we cannot disobey them. We apologise if this man is a close friend of yours but we cannot hand him over to you," they explained. 

You never corrected them. 

"Can I..." you mumbled, "Can I say goodbye to him?" 

They gave you a disapproving look, before opening a free pod and hoisting him inside it, securing him in place. 

"Make it quick," one grumbled, stepping back. 

Your face lit up and you rushed over, peering inside the pod. He just looked like he was sleeping, breath slow, his chest rose and fell softly. Weirdly, you felt your face heating up, but you left it down to the fact that the pod was cold inside. 

"Sorry, James," you whispered, lowering your voice significantly as you leaned in to hug him, "Come back to the ship when you wake up, asshole." 

Thanking the two men softly, you began to walk away, not turning around once, despite hearing the pod deploy. 

You smirked, looking down at your watch. Although, it wasn't a watch per-say. It was more of a tracking device, with it's twin securely locked around Kirk's wrist, the pair constantly updating the other with new co-ordinates. With that, Kirk would be able to know where the Enterprise was at all times. Not to mention, you would be able to notice when he was back aboard. The security on this ship really should be more careful.


	7. Lost but never alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, right?  
> Let me know what you think~!  
> If you could take the time to vote on this poll I made about an important aspect of the sequel of this story, I would be really grateful!! The link is [here!](https://goo.gl/wwFXQj) and it would help me out a lot!!!

"God dammit," he mumbled. 

Surely _this_ had to be the worst situation he had gotten himself into. There had been a long list of incidents that had ultimately landed him in pretty shitty circumstances, but this one, he agreed, had to take the cake. 

The pod groaned heavily and he groaned back. 

"Computer," he slurred, still feeling the pain from his _encounter_ with that pointy-eared bastard. "Where am I?" 

"Location Delta Vega," the device answered. "Class N planet. Unsafe. There is a Starfleet outpost 14 kilometres to the north-west." 

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me." 

A class N planet. That meant he was on a planet with a barren and rocky environment, most likely with unfriendly weather. Spock had _really_ outdone himself this time. 

Pulling himself from the wreckage of his pod and glancing around, he quickly threw on as many layers of clothing as he could. Savage snowstorm = _very unfriendly weather_. 

He squinted as he trudged through the snow. It was just an endless expanse of white and white and some more white. He rolled his eyes. He was _really_ starting to hate this colour. 

"14 kilometres to the north-west, huh?" he repeated, his breath puffed out in hot steam before it was quickly whipped away by the wind and ice. He brought his log device close to his mouth and spoke. 

"Star date; 2258.24. Or... err," he thought for a moment, his memory failing him, and huffed, "whatever. Acting Captain _Spock_ has _marooned me_ on Delta Vega, which is - what I believe - a violation of security protocol 49.09 governing the treatment of prisoners aboard a Star-" 

There was an eerie howl from somewhere behind him. The sound was somewhat lost in the thickness of the storm, but it was enough to make him turn. He squinted and heard it again, this time, louder. 

"What the-" 

And in the distance, accompanied by the padding of its feet as it ran, was a creature, much larger than himself, sprinting towards him. 

He paled. 

It roared. 

He screamed. And ran. 

Tripping over himself in his haste to flee, he stumbled to the icy ground and panicked, leaping up to throw himself into a sprint, turning only to find that the creature had _noticeably caught up to him_. He couldn't help but yell out in surprise at how royally fucked he was, and, _damn it all_ , he screamed. 

"(FIRST NAME)! I'M SO STUPID, I'M SORRY-!" 

He tripped again and glanced behind him for what he felt was going to be the last time – only to be saved by... a _much larger monster_. A _much, **much**_ larger monster. 

It grabbed his previous pursuer in its mouth, the entirety of its jaws wrapping around the smaller animal's body, and crunched down, turning to throw the now limp carcass against a nearby ice pillar for good measure. 

That was his cue to run - _again_. He heard it roar from somewhere close behind him, but he stumbled away, his legs moved faster than he thought he could and his heart beat in overtime. In his haste to avoid being eaten, he failed to notice the large and sheer drop he was fast approaching – until it was too late. His foot failed to find the ground beneath him as it was wiped away, and he fell, tumbled and ungracefully plummeted down a 100 metre cliff face of sharp ice and snow, crying out in pain as he went. The creature managed to stop short and held it's ground at the top as it leaned over the drop and howled. 

Until it, too, lost its balance and tumbled after him in a mess of limbs and gargled shrieks. 

He slid to a halt at the bottom of his descent and huffed out in pain, glancing around himself until the booming screech of the creature tumbling after him had his legs scrambling to move backwards and away from danger. Upwards he threw himself and his eyes found what looked like a potential escape route – a cave system – and he wasted no time in tumbling in its direction. The creature had blindly followed and herded him deep into the icy cave, crushing itself through the entrance as it pursued him for a few more meters, before unravelling its long and slender tongue, hooking the muscle around his ankle and yanking sharply. He was swept off his feet and towards a quickly approaching painful death and no matter how hard he kicked and hollered and struggled and _begged_ whatever deity might be up there to _not let him die today_ , _nothing worked_ \- except the bright flare of a small fire being swatted at the creature from an unknown man. The flames were enough to make the monster retract it grip from around his ankle and retreat in fear. 

Kirk sat in silence for a few seconds, long after the monster had disappeared and listened to his own heavy breaths as he calculated the insane possibility that someone had actually been there to offer aid when he was about to be eaten. 

The man turned slowly, clothed in a grey hooded coat, and frowned. 

"James T. Kirk," the saviour noted, and Kirk didn't fail to catch the man's pointed ears. 

"Excuse me?" Kirk questioned, still thoroughly confused. 

"How did you find me?" the man asked, his dark eyes soft. 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Kirk stumbled to his feet before the man, frowning. "How do you know my name?" 

The stranger sighed slightly and air around him turned to soft smoke at his hot breath. 

"I have been – and always shall be – _your friend_." 

"Wha-?" Kirk breathed out an awkward laugh, "Look, uh... I don’t _know you._ " 

"I am Spock," the man clarified. 

There was an awkward silence. 

"Bullshit." 

Imagine telling _(first name)_ that he had met a second Spock. Damn. Thinking about the look on her face had him scoffing in disbelief just as much as he knew she would be. 

"It is remarkably pleasing to see you again, old friend," Spock admitted. "Especially after the events of today," 

Was this Spock? I mean, the Spock he knew mentioned something about an alternate reality... and with alternate realities came alternate versions of people. In theory, this was all possible. That the man sitting before him was in fact Spock. 

But a different Spock. 

But still the same Spock. 

Kirk frowned hard, rubbing his temples with his gloved hands. 

"Sir, I appreciate what you did for me today, but," he stood sharply, explaining, "if you _were_ Spock, you'd know... we're _not_ friends. At all. You hate me. You marooned me here for mutiny." 

"Mutiny?" the man questioned. 

"Yes." 

"You are not the captain?" 

This prompted Kirk to make a noise of disbelief at the man's raised eyebrows. 

"No, uhm," he paused. "You're the captain. Pike was taken hostage." 

"By Nero." 

Kirk paused, turning to face the man before him fully. 

"What do you know about him?" he asked warily. 

The Spock before him agitated the fire with a stick and moved it just so, that crackling embers danced up above and disappeared into the cold air. 

"He is a particularly _troubled_ Romulan," Spock explained, standing. "Allow me, it will be easier." 

The man made a move towards Kirk, who immediately stepped backwards. 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing?" 

"Our minds. One and together," Spock explained, placing his hand over the side of Kirks face. "One hundred and twenty nine years from now, a star will explode and threaten to destroy the galaxy." 

Suddenly, Kirk feels weightless, and is dragged to a place he has never seen before. He hears Spock's voice, but it is distant and distorted. If he concentrates, however, he can hear him. 

"This is where I'm from, Jim," Spock explains. "The future." 

A gigantic star lays before him and in an instant, it explodes. 

"The star went supernova, consuming everything in it's path. I promised the Romulans that I would save their planet." 

Kirk sees what he assumes are a collection of memories from this Spock's lifetime. They are hazy, slightly blurred by the mind meld, but he can clearly make out a few Romulans before another memory is placed before him. 

"We outfitted our fastest ship. Using red matter, I would create a black hole, which would absorb the exploding star." 

Spock's ship. Red matter. The supernova. The memories flickered into his consciousness, remaining just long enough for his brain to recognise the images, before they were replaced with another. 

"I was en route when the unthinkable happened. _The supernova destroyed Romulus_." 

Kirk saw nothing except emptiness, but was overwhelmed with the feeling of sudden grief and panic. 

"I had little time. I had to extract the red matter, and shoot it into the supernova. As I began my return trip, I was intercepted. He called himself Nero; Last of the Romulan Empire." 

Nero's haunting face dawned within Kirks mind. 

"In my attempt to escape, both of us were pulled into the black hole. Nero went through first - he was the first to arrive. Nero spent the next twenty-five years awaiting my arrival. But what was years for Nero, was only seconds for me. I went through the black hole. Nero was waiting for me." 

The Narada stood stationary and Kirk could understand why (first name) whimpered softly the first time she saw it. 

"He held me responsible for the loss of his world. He captured my vessel, and spared my life for one reason. _So I would know his pain_. He beamed me here, so that I could observe his vengeance. As he was helpless to save his planet-" 

The lone image of Vulcan stood prominent in Kirk's mind. He was gazing up at it from below, unable to turn away as the planet imploded and was wiped into nothingness. 

"-I would be helpless to save mine. Billions of lives lost, because of me, Jim." 

Unimaginable pain and suffering and grief and loss and heartbreak caught Kirk off-guard and stole his breath. 

" _Because, I failed_." 

Pulled from the mind meld without warning, Kirk stumbled back into reality, the grief that Spock felt inwardly was showing itself clearly on Kirk. 

"Forgive me," Spock said as he noticed his companions obvious sorrow. "Emotional transference is an effect of the mind meld." 

Kirk stumbled away, leaning on a nearby snowy rock for support, breathing hard. 

"So you do feel," Kirk stated, breath sharp, rubbing tears from his eyes. 

"Yes." 

"Going back in time, you changed all our lives," Kirk muttered as he realised the true weight of the situation. 

"Jim," Spock called. "We must go. There is a Starfleet outpost not far from here." 

When Kirk turned to face him, the Vulcan was already marching off. 

"Wait," Kirk called. He paused for a second, wondering if he wanted to ask this question and hear the answer. He decided to ask anyway. "Where you came from... did I know my father?" 

"Yes," Spock answered. "You often spoke of him as being your inspiration for joining Starfleet. He proudly lived to see you become Captain of the Enterprise." 

"Captain?" Jim repeated, amazed. _Hear that, (first name)? Bet you never thought I'd get that far, did you?_ He smirked softly. 

"A ship we must return you to as soon as possible," Spock reminded. 

With that, he turned and proceeded to lead the way, Kirk following closely behind. 

\---------- 

The trek to the outpost was a fairly long and cold one, and Kirk had never been so grateful for heat in his life when they finally arrived inside. The facility was dated, lights shone with a green tinge and the interior was far from welcoming. 

"Hello?!" Kirk shouted down the hallway, squinting. He heard some kind of tool drop to the floor, before someone appeared in the doorway at the end of the corridor and trotted towards them. The individual soon diminished in size, before a small non-human was standing before them, blinking their small black eyes up at the two. 

Wordlessly, he turned and lead them down the hallway from which he came and through a doorway to the right. Kirk momentarily wondered if this species could speak any Earth languages, but he was in no mood to find out. The large hall that they had followed this (Kirk wanted to say "oyster-faced alien" but mentally slapped himself for his rudeness) non-humanoid into seemed to be some kind of engineering lab, and when the small alien stopped at a makeshift workstation, Kirk was almost taken aback to see another human resting with their feet up and over a desk, a scarf draped over their eyes. 

Their small companion tapped his larger companion on the foot. 

"What?" the man groaned, sliding his scarf off his eyes and letting it fall limply back against his chest. 

He stared at Kirk and Spock for a few seconds before pouting. 

"You realise how unacceptable this is?" the man's accent was thick as he spoke. _Where was that from?_

"Fascinating," Spock commented. 

"What?" Kirk asked, confused. 

"Yeah, I'm sure you're just doing your job – but could you not have come a wee bit sooner?" the man complained, exasperated. "Six months I've been here, living on Starfleet protein nibs and the promise of a good meal – and I know _exactly_ what's going on here, okay? Punishment. On going. Isn't it? For something that was _clearly_ an accident!" 

"You are Montgomery Scott," Spock acknowledged. 

"You know him?" Kirk questioned. _Scottish. That accent was Scottish_. He mentally gave himself a pat on the back for figuring it out. 

"Aye. That's me. You're in the right place. Unless there's another hard-working, equally starved Starfleet officer around?" 

"Me," the small alien suddenly quipped in. 

"Shut up!" The man exclaimed exasperatedly. "You don't eat anything! You can eat like a bean and you're done! I'm talking about food. Real food. But you're here now, so thank you-" 

"You are in fact, the Mr. Scott who postulated the theory of trans-warp beaming?" Spock queried. 

"That's what I'm talking about! How do you think I wound up here?" Montgomery Scott replied, explaining, "I had a _little_ debate with my instructor on the issue of relativistic physics and how it pertains to sub-space travel. He seemed to think that the range of transporting something like a... grapefruit is limited to about 100 miles. I told him that I could not only beam a grapefruit from one planet to the adjacent planet in the same system – which is easy, by the way - but that I could do it with a lifeform." 

Kirk was 100% lost in this conversation and therefore decided to remain quiet and just listen. 

"So," the Scottish man continued, "I tested it on Admiral Archer's prized Beagle." 

"Oh, I know that dog!" Kirk interrupted suddenly, interest piqued. "What happened to it?" 

The man choked on his drink. 

"I'll tell you when it re-appears," he admitted. "I don't know – I do feel guilty about that." 

"What if I told you that your trans-warp theory was correct – that it is indeed possible to beam onto a ship that is travelling at warp speed?" Spock asked rhetorically. 

"I think if that equation had been discovered, I would have heard about it," the man replied. 

"The reason you haven't heard of it, Mr. Scott, is because you haven't invented it yet," Spock revealed. 

Mr. Scott made a few noises of disbelief before he stood and pointed his finger at Spock and Kirk. 

"Are you from the future?" he asked suddenly. 

"Yeah, he is," Kirk confirmed, looking to Spock. "I'm not." 

"Well that's brilliant!" the engineer chirped. "Do they still have sandwiches there?" 

After a brief exchange of looks between Kirk and Spock, Montgomery Scott (who had insisted that he be called "Scottie") explained that he still had some working transporter pads inside one of the small cargo shuttles that had been left here and that they could use those to "supposedly" beam aboard the Enterprise. 

"Well," he chirped, banging the metal exterior of the ship for good measure. "She's a wee bit dodgy, but on you go," he signalled to the inside of shuttle as Kirk stepped inside, closely followed by Scottie and the smaller alien who had named himself as Keenser. 

Mr. Scott leaned into Spock, who had busied himself at one of the monitors, furiously typing as Kirk took a look around. 

"Except, the thing is," he explained, "Even if I believed you, right, _where you're from, what I've done_ – which I _don’t_ , by the way – you're still talking about beaming aboard the Enterprise while she's travelling faster than light, without a proper receiving pad - _get off of there! It's not a climbing frame_!" he shouted suddenly as he chastised Keenser who had decided to sit up on one of the transporter pads. 

Kirk reached forward to help Keenser down, extending his arms for the small alien to grab onto. 

"The notion of trans-warp beaming is like trying to hit a bullet, with a smaller bullet, whilst wearing a blindfold, riding a horse," the man scoffed, leaning over Spock's shoulder to take a look at what he was doing. "What's that?" he asked. 

"Your equation for achieving trans-warp beaming," Spock explained as he stood and allowed Mr. Scott to take a look. 

"Get out of it," the Scottish man sighed, taking a seat. He scoffed suddenly, his eyes taking in the full equation and realising it was correct. "Imagine that! It never occurred to me to think of "Space" as the thing that was moving! Which is all very well and good," the man's tone took a steep decline. "But how do we know where the Enterprise is? We can't just beam into space! Without her rough coordinates, it's useless - and what in God's name is that noise?" the Scottish man groaned, glaring around the small craft. 

"What noise?" Kirk questioned, confused. 

" _That_ noise," the Scotsman pointed directly at Kirk's wrist. 

It hadn't occurred to him previously that there was a soft beeping noise emitting from his right wrist and it subsequently pulled his attention towards the device. He lifted his arm up level with his eyes so he could stare at the little thing. 

He suddenly smirked. 

"(First name), you're something else, you know that?" he mumbled, smugly thinking of your flustered and angry face whenever he would annoy you. 

Even if he was stuck on this godforsaken planet, you had brilliantly thought of a way to keep him in the loop. So he would never forget where you were. 

"It's a tracking device," Kirk explained, "And it's partner is on the Enterprise. We have the co-ordinates to get back." 

He showed Mr. Scott the device, who's face lit up as he hurriedly typed in the Enterprise's coordinates, calculating her current trajectory and securing a route into the transporter device. 

Kirk stepped towards Spock, his voice low. 

"You're coming with us right?" Kirk asked. 

"No, Jim," Spock answered solemnly. "That is not my destiny." 

"Your destiny?" Kirk mimicked, exasperated. "Spock, the _other_ Spock is not going to believe me – only you can explain this to him-" 

"Under no circumstances can he be made aware of my existence – you must promise me this," Spock interrupted. 

"You're telling me I can't tell you that I'm following your own orders? Why not? What happens?" Kirk questioned in disbelief. 

"Jim, this is one rule you cannot break. To stop Nero, _you alone_ must take command of your ship." 

"How? Over your dead body?" 

"Preferably not," Spock sighed. "However, there is Starfleet regulation 619. 619 states that any command officer who is emotionally compromised by the mission at hand must resign said command." 

Kirk frowned. 

"So you're saying I have to emotionally compromise you?" 

"Jim... I just lost my planet," Spock murmured. "I can tell you... _I am emotionally compromised_. What you must do is get me to show it." 

"Aye then laddie," Mr. Scott called, as Kirk was pulled from his conversation with Spock. "Live or die, let's get this over with." 

Kirk turned, throwing Spock one last look over his shoulder before stepping onto the transport pad alongside Mr. Scott. 

"And Jim, one more thing," Spock called from his position by the monitors. Kirk leaned on the framework of the transporter pad, staring at Spock. "You must also make things right with (first name)." 

Kirk's eyes went wide at the mention of your name, your face filling his mind. 

"You know (first name)?" Kirk questioned, a little too forcefully. 

"Yes," the Vulcan confirmed, nodding. "Where I come from, she served alongside us bravely on the Enterprise for many years." 

Kirk smiled, shaking his head slightly. 

"I knew it," he muttered. 

"It was my honour to represent her father as she became –" 

"Ah-!" Kirk let out a surprised yelp as he began to energise. "Sorry, what was that last part?!" he shouted, "I can't hear you!" 

Swirling beams of light encompassed both Kirk and Scottie as they swiftly disappeared from sight and were gone. Keener let out a small noise of sadness, but the Vulcan simply smiled. A soft tug at the edge of his lips as he stared at the space where his old friend had just been, before finishing his sentence to no one. 

 

" – your wife."


	8. Come With Me

The doors to the bridge slide open and your graceful form strode in. Face unreadable, composure perfect, posture respectful. 

"Captain," you called to the Vulcan. "You wanted to see me?" 

You were, of course, referring to the announcement that had broadcast all over the Enterprise -- after Kirk had been sent off the ship and down to the nearest planet -- calling for you to return to the bridge as 'Captain Spock wishes to speak with you directly'. 

"Yes, Ensign (Last name)," Spock answered, standing from his chair, walking to you. "I am aware that James Kirk is a friend of yours-" 

"Not really," you mumbled, but Spock failed to catch your correction. 

"I recognise that supporting me as you did-" 

"I didn’t really support you," you grumbled, but, again, the Captain failed to catch your reiteration of his statement. Either that, or he just chose to ignore you. 

"-must have been difficult," he finished, walking round the bridge with you in tow. 

"Is that a thank-you?" you asked as you narrowed your eyes slightly. 

"I am simply acknowledging your difficulties," he commented, allowing silence to fall. 

You frowned. 

"Permission to speak freely, sir," you inquired, glancing up at the taller man. 

"I welcome it," he reminded, stopping. 

"Do you?" you queried, retorting, "Okay then. Are you out of your _fucking mind_?" 

Spock blinked, watching you snarl. 

"Are you making the _logical choice_ by sending Kirk away? Probably. But are you making the _right one_?" you reasoned. "You know, back home on Earth, we've got a saying: _If you're gonna ride in the Kentucky Derby, you don't leave your prize stallion in the stables._ " 

"A curious metaphor, Ensign (Last name), as a stallion must first be broken before it can reach it's potential," he noted. 

"You could at least _act_ like it was a hard decision!" you retaliated, angry at him for being so lax with his words. 

"I intend to assist in the effort to re-establish communication with Starfleet. However, if crew morale is better served by my roaming the halls _weeping_ , I will gladly refer to your knowledgeable expertise," he finished. 

You glared up at him as the doors to the bridge opened and he excused himself, throwing over his shoulder, "Stay on the bridge, if you will. I want you on standby, Ensign (Last name)." 

_"Double asshole,"_ you muttered hot-headily as you stalked away to busy yourself with the ships weaponry system, or, in other words, to ~~bother~~ _help_ Sulu instead. 

You glanced down at the tracking device and were slightly thankful that Kirk seemed to be alive, judging from his steady movements. 

"Mr. Sulu," you greeted, half-warmly, as you loomed over the man. 

"Yes, _Ensign_ (Last name)?" 

You deadpanned. 

"Anything you need me to help you with?" you replied cheerily, leaning one hand lazily on the desk beside him. 

"Don't lean on that," he drawled. 

You retracted your hand sharply, sighing. 

"Sorry," you mumbled. "Is there anything you want –" 

"Kirk saved me," Sulu interrupted suddenly, not once taking his eyes off of his monitor. "I owe him my life." 

You stood slowly. You were sure that Sulu was aware that you had witnessed the events earlier today when he had lost his footing atop the Romulan drill and Kirk had valiantly swooped down into the abyss after him in a successful rescue attempt. Softly, you nodded, unsure if he could see you or not, but you felt like he was aware. 

"I have a lot to thank him for, and I can tell the two of you are close –" 

"We're not really close," you laugh awkwardly, watching his hands slow slightly in their haste to dance around his screen. "He's not even my friend –" 

"I don’t think that's true." 

You blink down at Sulu, confused. Kirk wasn't your friend though, was he? Perhaps Sulu had just judged the two of you being together and assumed you were close friends. Which totally _wasn't_ the case. 

"Anyway," Sulu continued, ignoring the bewildered look you were shooting him. "Next time you see him, tell him I said thanks." 

"Why don't you tell him yourself," you pouted, crossing your arms and turning away slightly in favour of looking out the window of the bridge. Stupid Sulu. You and Kirk were _definitely_ not friends. 

Abruptly, the device on your wrist started to hum, causing you to jump. 

"What's that?" Sulu motioned with his head, interest piqued. 

You slapped your hand over your wrist to muffle the ever-growing humming of the tracker. 

"What's what?" you shrugged, letting out a shaky laugh. 

"That noise coming from your wrist," he smirked, brow raised. 

"I think you're hearing things," you laughed, scratching the back of your head, giddy. If the tracker hummed, it was reacting to it's twin being within a mile radius. That meant _Kirk was back aboard the Enterprise_. 

"Pretty sure that thing on your wrist is-" 

"Captain!" Chekov interrupted, giving you an ample opportunity to avoid having to explain yourself further. "Detecting unauthorised access to Water Turbine Control Board." 

Spock frowned, striding forward to hover behind the young Russian. 

"Bring up the video," he ordered, and you were almost 100% sure he threw you a knowing glare from the corner of his eyes. 

You turned your head to watch, ready to acknowledge your ~~hopes~~ _suspicions_ as truth. The screen flickered softly as it materialised an image showing surveillance footage from inside the Engineering deck in real time. 

To the untrained eye, there's not much time to confirm anything. To the untrained eyes, it's _two_ individuals, hurriedly running off screen to the left. But to _you_ it's _Kirk_ and someone else - that much is clear from the haze of dirty blonde hair and his build. To _you_ it's undeniably ~~_your_ ~~ _Starfleet's_ James Tiberius Kirk, still as spry as ever as he bounds out of frame, no doubt to come back to ~~you~~ _the bridge_. 

If that wasn't enough, Spock's reaction solidified your observations when he loomed over the monitor and spoke. 

"Security. Seal the Engineering deck. We have _intruders_ in Turbine Section 3. _Set phasers to stun_." 

You couldn't help the feeling of fear rise deep within you. What would Spock do when he caught Kirk? Would he send him off the ship again? It was a miracle that he managed to board the Enterprise safely whilst she was in warp. It was even more of a miracle that he had not landed somewhere dangerous like, say, _inside the actual warp core_. But, James Tiberius Kirk managed to do nearly the impossible on daily basis, it seemed, but you had your doubts on whether or not he could materialise on board the Enterprise without anyone's knowledge for a second time today. 

With a tell-tale sound, the doors to the bridge slide open and in stepped a very soaked stranger and a glaring James Tiberius Kirk, both accompanied by two red-shirts who had no doubt apprehended them running around the Engineering deck. You whipped round to face them fully. 

"James!" you greeted, watching his acidic expression melt as his vision captured yours. "You came back!" 

You ignored the acting captain as he strode towards them, instead pushing yourself between him and them, throwing your arms around Kirk's neck and hugging him tightly. The stranger beside Kirk raised his eyebrows and looked away, smiling at the act of affection. 

"Hey, gorgeous," he smiled happily, all the way up to his eyes. Leaning in, he added quietly so only the two of you could hear, "Nice thinking with that tracking device." 

You pulled away and grinned back, elated -- ~~for whatever stupid reason that was~~ \-- 

"You know me," you sang. 

Not even a moment later and a familiar Vulcan hand had clasped itself tightly around your shoulder, roughly pulling you backwards with such force, you stumbled into an older Vulcan, who you recognised immediately as Spock's father. You fumbled quickly to stand straight, sending him an extremely apologetic look. 

"Sorry, Sir," you whispered frantically, bowing your head slightly. 

"Who are you?" Spock sent his question flying towards the stranger dressed in an oddly heavy coat, which had been dripping water onto the floor of the bridge for the past few minutes. 

"I'm with him," the stranger answered timidly, sending a look towards Kirk. 

"He's with me," Kirk reiterated more strongly. 

"We are travelling at warp speed," Spock voiced lowly. "How did you manage to beam aboard this ship?" 

"Well, you're the genius – you figure it out," Kirk quipped, holding Spock's glare. 

You audibly sighed at his nature. James always seemed to want to start a fight, even if it was with his higher-ups. When you looked up, you didn't fail to catch the millisecond glance he threw you. 

"As acting captain of this vessel, I _order you to answer the question_ ," Spock pressed with more force. 

"Well, I'm not telling, _acting captain_ ," Kirk argued. 

Yeah. You were about 80% sure he was getting kicked off this ship again. 

"What...? That doesn't _frustrate_ you, does it? My lack of cooperation? That doesn't make you angry?" Kirk commented as the stranger at his side threw him a questioning look. 

Spock merely turned his blazoned glare to the man beside Kirk. As he did, you threw Kirk a hard and pointed look from over the Vulcan's shoulder which screamed, _"What are you doing?"_ to which he looked away quickly. 

"Are you a member of Starfleet?" Spock addressed the new entity aboard the ship. 

"Uhm, yes," he answered quickly, throwing in, "Can I have a towel?" 

"Under penalty of court marshal, I order you to explain to me how you were able to beam aboard this ship while moving at warp," Spock threatened, his presence seemingly growing by the second. 

"Well," the stranger began, looking awkward. 

"Don't answer him," Kirk interrupted. 

Yet again, you threw him a questioning look, along with a confused expression. Kirk knew the consequences of withholding information from the captain of the vessel, whether he was _acting_ captain or not. Just what was he trying to prove? 

"You _will_ answer _me_." 

There was a dense but brief moment of silence. 

"I'd rather not take sides," the man gulped. 

"What is it with you, Spock?" Kirk mused, stepping forward to come nose to nose with the Vulcan. "Your planet was just _destroyed_ , your mother _murdered_ and... you're not even upset." 

"If you are presuming that these experiences in any way impede my ability to command this ship, you are mistaken-" 

"And yet, you are the one who said fear is necessary for command," Kirk reminded. "I mean, did you see his ship? Did you see what he did?" 

"...Yes, of course I did-" 

"So are you afraid or aren't you?" Kirk questioned again. 

"I will not allow you to lecture me about the merits of emotion." 

"Then why don't you stop me," Kirk challenged. 

"James," you called, hoping to disperse at least a little of the growing tension that no doubt would snap at any second, but it was drowned out amongst the two men arguing. 

"Step away from me, Mr. Kirk-" 

"What's it like not to feel anger? Or heartbreak?" Kirk questioned angrily, "Or the need to stop at nothing to avenge the death of the woman who gave _birth to you?_ " 

You called to him again, this time, voice louder. 

"James, that's enough-" 

But the two heard nothing. 

"Back away from me-" 

"You feel nothing!" Kirk shouted, "It must not even compute for you!" 

"James, _stop-!_ " 

"You _never_ loved her-!" 

"ARGH!" 

Within seconds, as if your eyes could not keep up, Spock had thrown a punch so hard, it had Kirk stumbling backwards into the red shirt that had dragged him onto the bridge. Kirk tried to block Spock's attacks, but the Vulcan swung him easily over the captains chair, watching him yelp out in pain. Kirk stood, swinging a defensive block that Spock clearly saw coming, as he countered and retaliated within seconds, making Kirk double over in pain. You felt tears swim in your field of vision as Kirk's body was thrown against the front monitor, the sound of broken glass swirled around his voice as he choked out mixed sounds of pain. You felt the moisture on your cheeks as he winced and sucked in a ragged breath, eyes glazed. 

"Captain, that's enough! You're going too far!" you yelled, balling your hands into fists. 

Spock towered over Kirk's form, throwing a hand around his throat and squeezing. No one on the bridge was even attempting to break them up or intervene and it killed you because what could you, a pathetic _Ensign_ , do to stop any of this? 

Not allowing yourself even a second to think, you ran towards the acting captain and flung your arms around him from behind, clasping your hands tightly together around the front of his chest, using every ounce of strength you had in you to restrain his arms to his side and stop him from hurting Kirk any further. The Vulcan turned angrily, and as if you were a mere ragdoll to him, shoved you with so much force that your body slammed to the floor and your head struck sharply against the deck of the bridge with a resounding crack. 

You sat up slowly, aware of the searing pain screeching through your temple and rocketing through your body. Aware of the hot trickle of blood as it wept from your open forehead and down to your chin. But you ignored it all because Spock was _still_ hurting _him_. 

"Spock!" 

There was no need for you to turn to recognise the low, warning voice that had called to the Vulcan from behind you. Spock's father was looking at his son with something similar to disappointment, but it was rather hard to tell. 

A few, agonising moments later and Spock relaxed his grip around Kirk's throat, and the rush of air into Kirk's lungs had him violently coughing. The bridge was stagnant, except for Spock who avoided his father's gaze and slowly made his way towards McCoy. 

"Doctor," he muttered. "I am no longer fit for duty. I hereby relinquish my command based on the fact that I have been... emotionally compromised. Please note the time and date in the ship's log." 

With that, he made a swift exit. 

You scrambled to your feet and ran to Kirk, stumbling slightly on your way. 

"Jesus, James –" you winced at your erratic movements, the throbbing pain in your forehead causes you to squint, but you pressed on. "A-are you okay? Where are you hurt? McCoy-!" 

You didn't realise you had lost your balance until you felt a strong grip on both of your arms as Kirk steadied you. He placed his palms on the sides of your neck, staring at you intently. 

"(First name)," Kirk whispered your name. 

"Mmm?" you replied, feeling dizzy, yet still forcing out a command. "You need medical attention-" 

"No, _you_ need medical attention. You're bleeding like crazy," he laughed slightly when you sighed out, smiling. "Hey, Bones? She needs help." 

"On it," McCoy answered. "I've just got to grab a med kit." With that, he left the bridge - no doubt to return to the medical bay and retrieve some first aid. 

"Thanks for trying to help me," Kirk murmured, hands still around your neck. 

"I wasn't going to just stand there and do nothing, was I?" you pouted, trying to seem annoyed, but failing rather badly when you were 100% aware of the close proximity between the two of you. 

You felt your cheeks turn hot when he brushed your hair from your face, being careful not to agitate your wound. 

He laughed at your expression, bright eyes sparkling as you sulked. 

"Well, here I was thinking you hated me-" 

"Of course I don't hate you, you idiot," you pressed, tone entirely serious. He blinked at you, taken aback by just how serious you sounded. "I've never hated you..." 

"So you just enjoyed teasing me then?" he reiterated, and you couldn't seem to look him in the eyes. 

"I thought I did..." you murmured, squirmed under his intense gaze. "But I guess I've been lying to myself all along," you admitted shyly, feeling guilty for telling him such harsh truths. 

"Well, you don't have to lie to yourself anymore..." he murmured, trailing off. "Ensign (last-name), I really li-" 

"Okay, (first name), let me take a look at you." 

You jumped slightly when McCoy appeared out of nowhere and interrupted. He grabbed your shoulder lightly and steered you away from Kirk, guiding you to sit on one of the chairs by the monitors as he stood over you, rummaging in the medical kit. He hummed slightly, pulling out vials containing various liquids and bandages and, to your dismay, a needle and surgical thread. Tipping your head backwards with his thumb and forefinger, he peered at your wound for a few seconds before frowning. 

"Jim, come here," he called, motioning with his hand for Kirk, who covered the distance between you in milliseconds. "Take this," McCoy stated, handing Kirk a wad of gauze. "When I'm finished, I need you to press that against her wound quickly and apply pressure to limit the bleeding." 

Kirk nodded, gripping the gauze in his hands with more force than necessary, locking eyes with you. The next thing you knew, you felt a cold compress being dragged over and inside your wound. You flinched violently, hissing in pain and pulled away from McCoy sharply. The doctor just rolled his eyes and continued to clean your wound. 

"Be careful, Bones," Kirk warned suddenly, shooting his friend a look before leaning against a monitor. 

"Sorry, (first name)," McCoy mumbled, "But I have to make sure there's nothing in there before I stitch it up." 

You made a noise of partial discomfort at the pain, and partial annoyance at the situation. Nevertheless, you nodded at McCoy who continued cleaning your wound, with, you thought, a much softer touch this time. 

"Right, Jim... _now_ ," McCoy called, signalling for Kirk to press the wad of gauze against your head. 

Kirk leapt forward from his resting position and stepped in front of McCoy, placing his hand on your neck and leaning in, carefully pressing the medical gauze against your head. There were a few brief and very awkward seconds of heavy silence as you tried to stare _anywhere_ except his dazzling blue eyes as he hovered above you, mere inches away. 

"I'm not hurting you, am I?" he asked softly. 

"A little," you replied feebly. "But it's okay." 

He nodded. 

There was that awkward silence again... 

"Alright (first name), hold still," McCoy's voice popped out of nowhere as he tapped Kirk on the shoulder, signalling for him to move out of the way, and when he did, you got a full view of that glorious surgical needle, prime and ready to stitch you up. 

You glared at McCoy, who raised his eyebrows at you. 

"I'm sorry, _princess_ , but I've _got to_ ," he explained forcefully, but his actions were nothing but soft as he tilts your head back, thumb on your chin, and begins his work. 

You tried not to focus on the push and pull of the needle through your skin, and instead chose to focus on the Scottish man from earlier, who _still_ had his hands thrown up in surrender, and exclaimed excitedly, "I like this ship! You know, it's exciting!" 

You smiled, a little tug at the edges of your lips and Kirk caught the movement, watching you closely as you mentioned, "Somebody should really get him a towel." 

"There," McCoy stated triumphantly, wrapping sterile dressing around your head to secure your wound. "All done. That wasn't so bad after all, was it _sweetheart?_ " 

"Bite me," you snarled back at him, eyes glinting with humour as he rolled his in annoyance and snapped his medical case shut. 

McCoy turned suddenly serious as he must have realised the true weight of the situation, glancing around him. 

"Well," he started, "Congratulations, Jim. Now we've got no captain, and no goddamn first officer to replace him." 

"Yeah, we do," Jim replied, glancing to you, before he strode over to the captains seat, and sat down. 

"Pike made him first officer," Sulu explained to McCoy, and it looked like you weren't the only one who couldn’t believe it. So, it turned out that James Tiberius Kirk had planned _all along_ to emotionally compromise the acting captain so he would relinquish his position and allow Kirk to step up. 

"You have got to be kidding me!" McCoy exclaimed, tossing Kirk a look of disbelief. 

"Thanks for the support," Kirk tossed back. His gaze was steady as he stared straight ahead and past you. "And my first order as captain, is to promote Ensign (last name) to First Officer." 

Everyone turned to you, and you suddenly felt extremely small. 

"Do you accept your promotion?" Kirk asked, the small smirk he wore visible only to you. 

"Uh, I..." you glanced around, swallowing hard before squaring your shoulders. "Yes, Captain. Thank you." 

You watched Uhura walk up to stand beside Kirk as she curtly told him, "I sure hope you know what you're doing, _Captain._ " before she stormed off to sit at her station. 

"So do I," Kirk mumbled, holding your gaze as he pressed the button on the left of his seat to broadcast his next words to the entire ship. "Attention crew of the Enterprise. This is James Kirk. Mr. Spock has resigned commission and advanced me to acting captain. I know you were all expecting to regroup with the fleet, but I'm ordering a pursuit course of the enemy ship to Earth. I want all departments at battle stations and ready in 10 minutes. Either we're going down... _or they are_. Kirk out." 

There were a few moments where the crew on the bridge kept their positions, taking all of this new information in, before slowly, one by one, they resumed their duties and followed Kirk's orders to prepare for battle. You kept still, the dull throb in your temple was showing signs of becoming a full-blown migraine, and McCoy must have read your mind, because when you looked down, his palm was open and before your eyes, two pills resting in the centre of his hand. 

"For the pain," he grumbled, as you took them from him and gave your thanks. 

Kirk motioned you over with your name and a wave of his hand, and so you popped the pills in your mouth and hurried over, standing beside him, staring out into the abyss together, until he broke the comfortable silence. 

"Veni Mecum," he smiled, eyes soft. 

Perhaps they were the softest you had ever seen them. Perhaps it was because he knew he was asking a lot of you, and he knew how easily you changed your opinion of him. He stared at you so softly because he was begging. He wanted you to say 'yes' because he didn't want anyone else to stand there, with him, than _you_. 

"What does that mean?" you spoke curtly, your annoyance seeping through your tone. 

You were still mad at him for that little stunt he pulled earlier with Spock. Of course you would be. You realised now that it was all a ploy for him to become captain. The whole thing was an act. Yet he still managed to get himself sprawled over the monitor with a Vulcan's hand at his throat, squeezing the very life from his body – and you still managed to end up on the floor with a three inch gash and nine stitches in your forehead. You weren't even looking at him, yet you narrowed your eyes. 

"It's Latin," he explained, pushing all your buttons like only _he_ could. You turned to watch his smile fade into a grin. 

"Yes, _I know_ it's Latin," you clarified, finding yourself mimicking his grin as you sighed out a laugh. "But what does it mean?" 

There was something that clicked between the two of you right then and there. And all it took were five words.   
"It means 'come with me'." 

You felt his hand slip into yours from his seated position on the captain's chair and you knew almost right away what your answer would be. Maybe it was your head wound causing you to act so rash, but you only had to think for the briefest of seconds. 

Because there was no one other than James Tiberius Kirk that you wanted to stand beside. 

 

And you realised that as long as he was leading, you would follow him forever.


End file.
